Redemption
by Villana Del Amor
Summary: She left because she had no other choice, but now that she's back will SamCro be able to handle the changes she plans to make? Jax/OFC Opie/OFC OMC/OFC
1. Welcome Home

Dana lit her cigarette and inhaled deeply, anything to get rid of the slight pang in the bottom of her stomach as the steel doors shut behind her. She glanced back to the prison she had called home for the last 3 and half years and sighed. She was finally going home.

She began her trek up the road, not wanting to stand in the blazing hot heat for any longer. The leather pants and white tank top she had been incarcerated in were now two sizes too big and they weren't helping the situation. She had lost a lot of weight while bulking up on the inside. 24/7- anything to keep her mind off of what she had left on the outside and taken with her during her incarceration.

Dana heard an engine purr and stopped walking. A few seconds later, a black Cadillac pulled up to her feet. She flicked her cigarette butt and stepped towards the car, sliding into the dark, cool interior. Gemma smiled at her, reaching over and giving her a kiss on the forehead. "Welcome back, hunny," she said, pulling off the side of the road and speeding off.

--

Gemma leaned against the door frame and watched as Dana inhaled the food that she had laid on the table before her. She recognized that classic signs of a newly released inmate and didn't like it. Dana was like the daughter she never had. Her and Jax had grown up together and they were both born into the club. Her father was one of the original nine that had founded the Sons of Anarchy. They had moved up the ranks together, earning their stripes and paying their dues side by side. Three years ago, Dana took a bull shit charge on account of S.O.A fucking up deals. She was sentenced to five, released after 3 and half on good behavior.

Dana stood up from the table and walked her plates over to the sink. She washed her hands and leaned against the counter, drying her hands on the dish towel. "It feels good to have you back home, Dana. I missed my partner in crime," Gemma said, walking over to the table and lighting a cigarette. Dana didn't say anything, her gaze landing on the floor.

"The guys are planning this big thing down at the clubhouse. The town's invited. There's gonna be food and drinks. I think you'll enjoy it, having all those people at your feet," Gemma said, handing her a smoke. Dana took the smoke and inhaled deeply. "I guess it'll be fun," she replied, her face blank. Gemma cleared her throat and stepped towards her.

"I know right now you feel probably feel like you want to shoot up the clubhouse and call it a day. Things will be rough the first couple of weeks, I've seen it in every brother that has gotten locked up. It'll take time to get used to things. Just don't give up and push everyone away. And as a warning, Dana- Charming has changed. Sam Cro have changed."

--

Dana got out of the tub and wrapped the towel around her. She stood in front of the mirror, wiping the fog off of it. She took in how much she had changed. She was still the same height, still had the same wavy dark brown hair and light hazel eyes. But she knew that deep, down inside- she was different.

She froze, hearing the familiar rumble of the bikes. She had lived for the sound since she was born. It was in her blood. She walked into her bedroom, the one she had shared for years with her husband and slipped into a pair of jeans and a S.O.A t-shirt. She threw her hair up into a messy bun and slapped some mascara on, as well as her rings. She stood back and looked in the mirror, taking in how good it felt to wear something other than a prison uniform.

Her jeans rode low, her hip bones peeking out from the top, her tee riding up, revealing the bottom of a toned stomach. Tattoos lined her hips and came crawling out from beneath her sleeves. She briefly smiled at herself in the mirror, liking what she saw. Silence filled the air, and she heard the stands being brought out from underneath the bikes. The sounds of helmets being placed on the handle bars. Boots crushing the gravel in her driveway. The key in the front door.

She walked to the top of the stairs and took a deep breath before beginning her descent. Her heart skipped a beat as the front door opened and he walked in. He saw her and smiled, tucking his hair behind his ear and walking towards her with the swag he always seemed to have. She chuckled as she made her way towards him.

Jax.

She was oblivious to the figure that loomed after him.

Tyler.

Her husband.


	2. Family

Gemma watched and took mental notes. It's what she did. She watched them all interact and then, in the darkness of their bedroom, she made her move. It was true, behind every powerful man was an even more powerful woman. And in this case, she was stronger than all of them. Or so she thought. She smiled at all the guests that filled the clubhouse, courtesy of her attempts to give Dana a good welcome home, but somehow she felt that it would all come back to bite her in the ass.

Dana and Jax had grown up together, along with Tyler. They went to the same school and soon became best friends. They all found a haven in her home from their fucked up family. Dana and her mom, Tyler and his dad. They all ran to Gemma for some loving and she ate this all up. It was through the Teller's and Clay's support that Dana was allowed to join the club. Sam Cro was a brotherhood, but Dana proved herself to be as tough, if not tougher than the rest of the club.

When the trio had worked their way up the ranks and were given their cuts, it was official. They were family. Gemma always dreamt that Dana and Jax would end up falling in love and giving her gorgeous babies but when Dana and Tyler started dating in high school she knew her dream was crushed. Jax soon fell into the arms of Tara and Gemma tried her hardest to split the two up. She had succeeded when Tara left to finish her education but was pissed off to hear that the bitch was back and that she was planning to stick around for Jax and his son, Abel.

Gemma and Dana were the powerful ones. They both played Clay Morrow like a violin. Although Jax was the vice president, both him and Clay usually looked towards Dana for her opinion, her thoughts on any particular issue before making any moves. She played a key role in the club- she was the voice of reason, but at the end of the day her specialty was being the reaper. Her father served in the army alongside the other originals that formed Sam Cro, but before he died he taught her everything he knew about sniper rifles. She was good with a sniper rifle and Clay Morrow knew this- she and her father played a major role in the rising and constant domination that Sons of Anarchy had over other motorcycle clubs.

Gemma sighed happily as she thought of Dana's return and how that would affect the family dynamic Jax was trying to create. Wendy, the crack head ex-wife was a good replacement for Dana, but now that Tara was trying to become a constant presence in Jax's life, she knew she could count on Dana to straight the both of them out. Gemma knew that sooner or later Dana and Jax would get back to their old ways.

Sooner or later they would go back to fucking behind her husband's back.

It was just a matter or time.

----

Dana looked at the sleeping beauty in front of her and sighed. Tears threatened to erupt as she thought about how she left her daughter, Lilah, when she was just two years old by herself. "She's grown so much," she whispered, reaching down and pulling the blanket up to the little girl's chin. She was the spitting image of her father, dark raven hair and bright blue eyes. "Yeah, she's a handful," Tyler whispered, leaning against the door frame.

Dana placed a kiss on Lilah's forehead and exited the room, making her way downstairs towards the kitchen. " I see you finally got around to fixing up the house," she said, making small talk. They didn't really have any communication while she was locked up. She preferred it that way. It made it easier. She would have loved to say that it was for them. That she didn't want them to see what prison had made out of her, but it would be a lie. She just didn't want a constant reminder of what she was missing.

Tyler followed after her and leaned against the kitchen counter, mimicking her stand across the room. She drank in her husband and his strong, muscular 6'3" build. She knew him like the back of her hand and knew something was up by the way he was standing. His shoulders were hunched and he stared at the floor. This was unusual for him.

"Spill it," she said, lighting up a cigarette and taking a pull from it. Tyler cleared his throat and retrieved a yellow manila envelope from his back pocket. She glanced at it, instantly recognizing it. Dana took in a deep breath and exhaled slowly. Those were the divorce papers she planned to serve him a week before she got arrested.

"I know things were bad, but I never thought it would come to this," he said, throwing them onto the kitchen table. "What did you expect? You ran around with anything that had a pulse. I had to beat them off of you. The house was falling apart. Our daughter spent days without seeing you and I was all alone, Ty. You left long before I did," she said, anger flowing through her body.

"You could've said something. It didn't need to come to this!" He yelled. Dana laughed at the top of her lungs. "I tried time and time again. I begged you to stop drinking and partying. You blew all your money that you earned on any little scheme that gave you a rush. Lilah was the only thing that stopped me from walking out on you for years."

Tyler crossed the room in a mere second and grabbed her arm forcefully. She backhanded him and spit on his face. "Don't kid yourself, Tyler. I had it all planned. I had a house, a job- everything planned out. All I needed to do was hand you those papers. But I couldn't bring myself to do it. I couldn't bring myself to quit on you like you quit on this family!"

He pushed her against the counter and his face came within inches of his. "You knew from the start- since we started dating in high school, that this was what it was gonna be like. You knew! But you wanted the house, the kid, the happy home life. And now you're gonna get it! Things have changed around here, including me," he said. Dana laughed in his face.

"Who are you trying to fool? You? Change? You can't teach an old dog new tricks," she spat back, all the venom from the years she had been married to the heartless asshole starting to flow through her veins. "You promised me happiness. You said you were gonna stay by my side no matter what. And it came down to it. You're still here now. You're not going any where and neither am I. So you better suck it up and roll with the god damn punches, because it's gonna be one hell of a ride if you think I'm gonna stand for any more of your bullshit."

Tyler stepped back and chuckled. "That's where you're wrong, sister," he said, walking over to the table and picking up the divorce papers. "I had my lawyer draw up one of these. He'll be serving you soon. I'm taking Lilah and the house. You can keep the truck and that shit hole house you bought. Feel free to go and get that job you got when you were planning to leave me. Have fun enjoying your freedom!" He said, throwing her divorce papers in the garbage can.

Dana froze. He was leaving her and he was going to get away with it. He was going to take her daughter away from her. She just got released from prison. There was no way in hell a judge was gonna give Lilah to her. There was no way in hell, she decided. "Yeah, you talk that talk, Tyler. But I swear to god that if you make one move to take my life away from me, I'll kill you. I will destroy you, Tyler. I just got my life back and there is no way in hell that I'm gonna lose it again. You see this," she said, raising her hand to his face and fingering her wedding ring. "We're in it for the long haul, mister. There's only one way out of this. In a body bag or chopped up into little pieces. You decide, but I won't have any problem becoming a widow."

He looked at her and smiled. "God! When am I gonna stop being turned on by all the bullshit that comes out of your mouth?" Dana erupted in laughter and laughed until she was practically heaving. "Did you really plan on leaving me?" He whispered, killing her laughter immediately. "Yeah. Things around here just weren't working out for me anymore. We grew apart. Did you really draw up divorce papers?"

Tyler nodded and dug his hands deep into his pockets. He was nervous. Dana took in a deep breath and let it out slowly. Anger management. She learned it on the inside and it was starting to become real convenient. "I'll move out as soon as I can. I figured Lilah should stay with you since she probably doesn't remember me anymore. Just don't take her away from me. Or I really will kill you," she said, smiling sadly at him. He nodded, walking up to her and wrapping his arms around her.

"Now we gotta go see the rest of the family."

---

The clubhouse erupted into cheers as Dana entered it. She received hugs and welcomes as she made her way through it. She knew the deal. Get together now and charter meeting later, then more madness. She lived for this shit for years and today wasn't any different. It felt good to be surrounded by her friends and family. It felt…. Right.

Gemma engulfed Dana in a big hug. "I got you something," she whispered in her ear, stepping aside and letting Clay walk towards her. "We missed you," he said, retrieving a wrapped box from behind his back. Dana accepted the present with a suspicious attitude. It was wrapped in hot pink paper and had a big satin bow on top. She set it on top of the bar and raised an eyebrow at Clay. "Go on and open it already," he said.

The entire clubhouse was silent as she unwrapped the box and peeled the paper off. She opened it, revealing a box full of crumbled up tissue paper. Dana reached in and felt around in the box, finding nothing. "It's empty. What the hell kind of game is this?" She yelled, angrily, turning around to face Clay and yell at him for his joke. When she turned around, she found Jax holding up her cut.

Her cut.

The cut she worked so hard to earn. The cut she cried, bled and fought for. The cut she went to prison for.

Her cut.

She smiled sadly and slipped into it, pulling the leather around her body. It held a lot of memories for her. Good and bad- but it held a lot of memories for her.

All the people in the clubhouse began to cheer and held up their drinks to toast her. "Because at the end of the day, all dogs find their way home," Clay said. Someone handed her a beer and smiled, downing it in what seemed to be mere seconds. Best beer ever, she thought.

Jax threw his arms around her and hugged her tight. "Welcome home," he whispered in her ear. As Jax was hugging her, Dana looked around at all the people around the clubhouse and focused on several persons that piqued her interest. In one corner, Tara. In the other, Wendy. And then there was Opie. "What's going on here?" She asked, ungluing herself from him. Jax followed her line of vision and sighed. "It's a long story," he said, smiling at her. "I'll play nice until you explain to me what the fuck is going on," Dana growled, walking off.

He stared after and shook his head. "Women."


	3. It's Just Business

"Like I said, things have changed," Gemma said, pouring Dana another shot. She took it gladly, downing it, loving the burn going down her throat. "I can't believe that bitch is here. I can't believe he brought her here. I can't believe a lot of shit right now," she muttered, lighting a cigarette. "Baby girl, let it go for tonight. Tomorrow you can pound her face in for all I care. But tonight, enjoy yourself," she said, pouring her another shot.

Gemma smiled at her protégé, knowing that if she played her cards right, jealousy would rear her ugly head and she would be able to get rid of Tara- once and for all. Only issue was that Dana would go to any lengths to keep her secret from everyone. Well now it was their secret- the three of them. Dana and Jax had no idea that Gemma knew about them, but she would play them all like she was a game of chess, plan out her every move. She would only reveal herself if she had no other choice and as hard as she tried to get rid of Tara, she always failed. She's like an STD that just won't go away, Gemma thought to herself.

"After all the things we did for that little whore, she stabbed us in the back. Then she brought that fucking agent to our doorstep and now she's trying to make herself a statue in Sam Cro. What the hell is Jax thinking?" Dana asked, downing the shot. Gemma shook her head. "I don't know. I tried to talk some sense into him but ever since Abel was born he's been acting kind of sketchy. I don't know where his head is anymore."

"I need some fresh air," Dana said, getting rid of her cigarette and stumbling away towards the back door of the bar. Gemma stared after her, a sweet smile on her face. Tara tried once before to come between the bond of a mother and her son. She failed and she was definitely going to fail once again. There was no way in hell she was gonna let her manipulate Jax into turning his back on the club like she tried to do before. She would rather go to prison then to lose her only son. She would rather blackmail Dana into doing her dirty work.

Gemma watched and made mental notes. It was how she worked. It was how she managed to get away with everything she did. It was how she controlled Clay, who in turn controlled the Sons. It was through her watching and waiting that she discovered the secret Jax and Dana had been hiding for years. It was how she found out that Tara was trying to rip her family apart by bringing dead and buried secrets back to life.

It was how she discovered that Dana was pregnant.

---

Clay leaned in his chair and lit his cigar. They were reunited once again. His entire team. He looked around the room at the faces he called brothers and his heart skipped a beat. Through all the bullshit and the drama, they stuck through it- never once turning their backs on each other. Sure, there were doubts, but who doesn't? In the end they all ended up right where they began. At the redwood table. In HIS chapel.

He glanced down at his hand and sighed. It wouldn't be long before he wouldn't be able to ride. It was just a matter of time before he would have to turn the gavel over to Jax and he wasn't very comfortable with that. Jax had changed right before his eyes. He was making moves that scared him. He was trying to take the club legit, but they all knew Sam Cro stayed on top because they bent the rules and played dirty. How else would they keep the club and garage afloat? How else would they be able to dominate? They were an outlaw motorcycle club, not the fucking girl scouts.

Clay thought ahead to what would happen when he would have to step down. He would then just be an old fart. He would then just be another one of them. He wouldn't have any power, any control. He would be lost. Then again, maybe not. There was still Dana. He saw her grow up. She thinks of him as a father, he hopes. She would be the ear he would whisper into, to get the club to sway his way. Although Tyler was a good asset also, he wasn't the brains of the operation. He was the monkey that did all the dirty work. He was the brawns of the operation. If there was an ass to kick, Tyler was your man. But if you needed detail and precision, Dana was the way to go.

Tyler and Dana. Those two were a pain in his ass before she got locked up and he was sure that they would be once again, now that the two of them would be vying for Jax's attention and power once again. It was like Jax had a devil on each shoulder. They were both fighting to be his right-hand man, the club's nice vice president. Clay stepped down, there was gonna be one hell of a fight. He knew that Dana would win hands down, but it wouldn't be pretty.

"Anything else that needs to be addressed before we shut down?" Clay asked, waving his gavel in the air. Tig stood up from his chair and raised his beer bottle. "Welcome home, sister. It's been a rough couple of months with everything that went down with ATF, Bobby and Opie, but maybe things will turn around now that we got a woman's touch to smooth things over." The brothers cheered and raised their bottles, toasting once again to her.

Clay slammed his gavel down and chuckled. "Let the madness begin," Juice yelled, picking up Dana and throwing her over his shoulder. The boys spilled out into the bar area and began pouring more shots. Somewhere, someone turned on the music and somehow people began filling up the place. Clay sat the redwood table alone and sighed.

Yes, let the madness begin, he thought to himself.


	4. One of those Days

Dana placed her sunglasses on the bridge of her nose and took in a deep breath. She spotted Tara miles ago, following her around town as she ran her errands. It was busy day- stocking her new house with food and furniture. It was also a crappy day- it was hot as hell outside and it wasn't getting any better.

This time, Tara wasn't worried about blending in. She clearly wanted to be seen- she was leaning against Dana's truck, fidgeting nervously. Dana walked over to her truck and placed her grocery bags in the trunk, slamming the door firmly. "Hey, Dana," Tara said, fidgeting once again.

Dana stared at Tara, no sound coming from her. Tara withered in her stare, looking for a response but received none. "How are things? I was gonna stop by the house but Jax told me you moved, but he didn't say where," she said. She fidgeted and waited for another response, the one which she would not receive.

"First of all, stop squirming. You make me want to stomp on you like you're a cockroach. Second, spit it out. I know you've been tailing me all day. What the fuck do you want? And if you show up at my place, I have a gun. And the law says I can use it against trespassers," Dana said, pushing her off of her truck and opening the driver door. She threw her bag on to the passenger's side and turned, facing Tara.

"I just wanted to make sure that we were okay. Charming isn't as big as everyone makes it seems. I figured we would run into each other once in a while, so I rather we get this out of the way now," Tara said. The other girl laughed, not believing her ears. "Get this out of the way? I don't think you quite understand the amount of hate and anger that I have towards you, Tara. The only way that I will ever stop hating you is if you let me put a bullet between your eyes and chop you into little pieces."

"You need to get over what happened, Dana. We can move past this. We've all grown so much and it's time to put that behind us. We all made mistakes," Tara said, a pleading tone in her words. Dana laughed. "The only mistake you made was screwing with my life and then trying to come back into Jax's after you left. Yeah, we're all grown up now, but that doesn't change what you did and what I will do to you if you ever come near me again!"

Dana slid into the driver's seat and turned her truck on. She shifted into reverse and peeled out of the parking spot, exiting the lot before Tara had a chance to get another word in. She stared after the black Escalade that Dana drove almost religiously and cursed.

She knew that things would get ugly between the two of them. As a matter of fact- Charming wasn't big enough for the four of them, Tara thought. Gemma, the over bearing mother. Wendy, the one that's kept around because of Abel. Dana, she wasn't gonna go anywhere without a fight or an arrest warrant. And then there was her. She had made her bed and no matter how hard she tried, she was gonna lay in it. She had to pay for what she had done to all of them. Tara walked over to her car, her head hanging low.

It was just one of those days.

----

Gemma lit her cigarette and inhaled deeply. She stared at Jax across the kitchen table and nodded her head. "I hope you're not the one lighting the fire between Tara and Dana," he said, eating a spoonful of the scrambled eggs she had made him for breakfast.

"What would make you think that?" She asked, a smile playing on her face. Jax slammed his fork down and inhaled deeply. "I know you hate Tara, mom. But there is no need to plant your little seeds of hate in Dana so that you can get rid of her," he replied, taking a sip of his orange juice. "I did no such thing, Jackson. You should know better. Tara and Dana have their own history to work through. Whatever problems I have with Tara, I will deal with on my own time," Gemma replied, trying to reassure what he probably knew was a lie already.

"Those two, will rip Charming apart if necessary. There's a lot of bad blood, mom. Try to stay out of it," Jax said, standing up from the table and exiting the room. Gemma stared after him, shaking her head. Things were about to get crazy in Charming. Crazier than how it usually is and the blame would partly lie on her shoulders. But she had to get rid of them. She was only willing to share Jax and the club with one other woman. She wouldn't let Tara in. She couldn't.

It was one of those days. Any regular, old day during which Gemma plotted against them all.

It was just one of those days.

---

Dana flicked her cigarette onto the grass and walked into the house. She began placing all the food and crap she bought at the grocery store into their rightful places. She glanced at the busted air conditioner and groaned. It was gonna be a long day. The repair man said he wouldn't be able to come by the house until after 3. It was 11 and she felt like she was melting. She wouldn't make it without first having a mental breakdown. She was sticky and sweaty and just plain gross. She hated the feeling. She ripped her shirt off and threw it onto the kitchen table. Dana opened the kitchen window and stood in front of it, relishing the soft breeze that was coming in.

He watched her, as she picked her hair up and placed it into a sloppy bun on the top of her head. Dana rubbed the back of her neck and sighed. He watched as the sweat ran down her back and into the crevices he once knew. The crevices he was once a part of. The crevices that used to be his. "I know you're all against being a girl and what not, but you could always try to put on a pair of shorts or a skirt," he said.

Dana jumped, flipping around and glaring at him. "Fuck you, Jax," she said, feeling slightly naked in front of him. He laughed, pushing a strand of hair behind his ear and walking over to the table, where he took a seat. "Came by to check out the new place?" She asked, walking over to the fridge and grabbing him a beer, throwing it to him. Jax produced a bottle opener from his pocket and removed the top, downing half of it in one sip. "Actually, I came to smooth things over between you and Tara. I hear you're being a real bitch to her for no reason," he responded.

Dana laughed, not believing her ears. "Way to be blunt about it, Jax," she said, leaning against the counter. He shrugged, taking another gulp of the beer. "You and me have always been up front about things. No need to bullshit each other." She watched him and nodded. He was right. They both knew what the other was usually thinking without even asking. They both knew each other- their wants, needs, fears, worries. Or at least they used to. "Well, go on with it. Tell me how you came to save the damsel in distress from the ass whooping I've been itching to give her."

Jax cocked his head to the side and sighed. "Come on, Dana. Whatever schoolyard issues you and Tara had back in the day, cannot be that serious that you need to kick her ass 5 years later," he said. Dana scoffed, shaking her head. "I want you to go back and tell that doctor bitch that she knows what she did to me, to you and this family. I've made up my mind, Jax. I'm gonna get the bitch. It's just a matter of how and when, but I can tell you one thing- the bitch better be looking over her god damn shoulders every time she turns around because I will be coming for her. A year. An hour. A decade. I don't give a fuck, but I'm gunning for her."

He shook his head and stood up from his chair. "Fine. I tried to get some sense into your head. I tried to get my mom to stop with her bullshit also. I god damned tried. So don't go blaming me when you force my hand into shutting you down. I'm not gonna let you hurt her. I would've expected you to put your problems aside if not for me then for Abel or for the club. But I guess not," he said, walking away.

Dana shook her head and watched him walk away. She wanted to chase him, stop him, drag him up stairs and change his mind. Like old times. But things had changed. Tara was back and so was her pain. She was a constant reminder of what she had lost. Her man. Her future. Her happy family. What she had always wanted. Everything. As she thought about how much her life had changed in mere years, tears sprung to her eyes. "God dammit," she whispered. Jax could always make her cry. Usually she skipped the sadness part and went right into a rage, but Jax always made her stop at the sadness. A sob escaped her mouth as she realized that he was really in love with her- Tara.

She ran her fingers of the tattoo that rested on her right wrist- the SamCro crow with a heart on it. She thought she would earn her old lady tat with Jax, but he gave it to that bitch. That bitch. The bitch that has his heart. His son. His house. His family. That bitch. Dana glanced over to her other wrist. Lilah. She smiled, tears still streaming down her face. Lilah was the only good thing that came out of all of this drama. So many ups and downs, but she was constant. Her baby girl. Dana took in a deep breath and let it out slowly.

It was just one of those days.


	5. No Guarantees

"God, I missed this," Dana said, stretching out on the roof top and burping out loud. Opie winced at the sound and then laughed. "You don't change do you?"He asked, passing her a beer. She took it and glanced up at the moonlight, smiling. "When was the last time we did this? I remember when we used to put a movie on and let the kids fall asleep on the couch, while we just drank ourselves stupid up here," she replied, lighting a cigarette. Opie chuckled and finished off his beer.

"Ah… last time we officially talked and drank ourselves into oblivion on the top of my house was the night you turned yourself in. And if I remember correctly, Donna always used to be pissed because we would crawl in through the window like a bunch of horses, drunk as shit and wake her up," he replied, nodding softly. Dana looked over to him and smiled, sadly. "I'm sorry I wasn't there Op. You know that if I could've, I would've been by your side the entire time," she said.

He nodded, taking in a deep breath. "There was nothing any of us could do, D. What's done is done, there's no point reliving the moment by contemplating on the what ifs." She nodded, finishing off her beer. "Well if you ever need any one to take the kids off your hands for anything, give me a call. I'm sure there's been plenty of times when I've dropped Lilah off to go party with the guys. Plus, I'm the proud owner of an empty house. Anything to disrupt the silence before I go fucking insane," she said.

"How are things going between you, Lilah and Tyler?" Dana laughed. "They're not going anywhere. Lilah and me are good for now. We try to spend at least a couple of hours or so together every day. Tyler isn't budging. He's neither divorcing me nor letting me back into the house," she replied.

"How are you really dealing with the change? I didn't think it was fair of him to ask you to hit the road fresh out," Opie said. She shrugged. "Honestly. I don't feel any type of way about it. It's neither bad nor good. It feels just right. Only thing is, the silence is deafening. I'm so used to having so many people around me that I'm scared in the house all by myself," she replied, laughing lightly.

"Maybe me and the kids will drop by. Tyler can drop Lilah off. Fire the grill up. Pop a movie in. Climb on to the roof. Get obliterated. Make a sleep over out of it," he said, handing her another beer. "Definitely. Negative on the beer. We got that charter meeting in an hour. I have to go drop Lilah off at Tyler's mother on time or the lectures will never stop." She stood up on the roof, brushing the dirt off of her pants. Opie followed suit and the two stood in front of each other. "Thanks for this, Op. Today wasn't such a good day for me. Maybe the night will turn around," she said, opening her arms up for a hug.

Opie stepped towards her and wrapped his arms around her. It felt…. Good. Right. But as fast as it had started, it was over. Before he knew it, Dana was disappearing through his bedroom window and he was stuck on the roof, but he wasn't alone. He glanced down at his crotch and sighed.

"No guarantees."

----

"Any comments?" Clay asked, waving his gavel around the room. His eyes rested on Dana as he silently wished she would say something. This was a test for her. Specifically for her. It was a run into Nevada, the first after the patch over with the Devil's Tribe. The risk was high and he needed his best people on it. He needed Dana. She was back; he just wanted to make sure she was back 100%. He wanted to make sure that she was capable and able.

"I'm down," Dana said, tapping the end of her cigarette to get rid of the ash buildup. Clay glanced around the faces in the room and nodded his head in approval. Several voices rang out after her and he didn't really care. He already knew who was going, he just needed to make sure she would come to the conclusion that she was going without having to include anyone else. "I think that Dana should sit this one out. This is a big job and I don't want to go out there and get into trouble. What's to say that she won't freeze up and risk one of our lives," Tyler said.

Dana's head flipped towards him and she scowled. "Fuck you, Tyler. Trust me, if there's any one that needs to worry about their backs being covered now it's you, because after a comment like that I should be the one putting the bullet in the back of your head," she replied. Clay slammed his hands down on the table, wincing on the inside. "Like you said, Tyler. It's a big job and I need my best people on it. Jax, Tig, Chibs, Tyler and Dana. We leave tomorrow morning. Everyone else should be here to expect the next shipment of guns," he said.

Before Tyler could open his mouth to protest, Clay slammed his gavel down and ended the meeting. "You two, stay. The rest of you, out!" He yelled, glaring at Tyler and Dana. When the room was empty except for the three of them, Tyler and Dana began to shout at each other at the same time. Clay raised his hands and shook his head. "It's like dealing with a bunch of fucking third graders," he muttered, standing up from the table and facing both of them.

"I need you two, to get over this shit. When it comes to club business you are not husband and wife. You are members. Do you understand? Leave your personal bullshit out of the fucking chapel!" He yelled at them. "Now. Fucking discuss this amongst yourselves and I don't ever want to have another outburst in the chapel like that. If you want to kill yourselves, go home and do it. Don't bring that drama here."

Tyler and Dana watched as Clay exited the chapel, slamming the door shut after him. "You just got released from prison. You need to take a break and start off slow, not jumping in head first. And plus, when was the last time you rode you're bike? It probably doesn't even turn on anymore," Tyler said. Dana resisted the urge to pummel his face in and took in a deep breath, letting it out slowly. "Get over it, Tyler. Yeah, I was in prison but it's a little too late to start trying to protect me and what not. And I know you, Tyler. You love your bike more than you ever loved me and knowing that, I know that you would never let my bike get a speck of dirt on it, let alone rusty. I'm riding tomorrow. We can either work together or I can put that bullet in the back of your head as I promised," she said, a smile on her face.

"No guarantees."

---

"I'm gonna head back to my place since you have to get up early tomorrow. Be safe, Jax. I love you," Tara said, kissing Jax. "Love you too," he replied, wrapping his arms around her. Dana felt the dinner Opie made her, start to resurface as she watched the scene in front of her. "Disgusting," Gemma whispered, taking a pull from her cigarette. "Watch this," Dana replied, as the couple parted and Jax walked away.

Dana walked over to Tara, a smile on her face. "Oh, don't worry. I'll make sure to take care of him, Tara. All night long," she said, emphasizing the last part. Tara rolled her eyes and stomped off towards the door. Dana stared after her, laughing to herself. Gemma appeared by her side, placing a hand on her shoulder. "When are you gonna put the poor girl out of her misery? I'm tired of Jax hounding me about every little thing we say to that one," she said.

Dana shrugged. "Well I am gonna make sure she gets into her car alright," Gemma said, walking towards the door. Dana knew that if Gemma had her way, she wouldn't make it anywhere alright. If she could, Gemma would beat the shit out Tara and leave her body by the car. Dana laughed at that idea; the thought of hurting Tara entertained her. She turned towards the bar and motioned to Tig for a shot. She would try to make the most out of this trip. No Tara, no Gemma. Just one female voice in all his head. Hers.

But then again, there were no guarantees.


	6. Sweet Butt

Dana placed her helmet on the handle bars and got off of her bike. She went for a drive to clear hear head, but it didn't feel right. She had to leave her cut behind so she didn't get spotted by rival clubs in Nevada. Her riding her dyna without her cut didn't feel right. It just didn't. They both came hand in hand, the drive was almost pointless but at least she was able to get some perspective on the things that were going on in her life right now. Too many. She wanted to narrow them down. Tara. Jax. Tyler. She just wanted to be at peace. But then again her life was always hectic.

She gave the club permission to start the night's festivities without her, while she went on her drive. She hoped that some of them would be sober by the time she got back, but that was a long shot. When she entered the bar, she found most of them obliterated and the rest on their way there. All of them with a sweet butt on their laps. Well all of them except Opie. She stood in the doorway's darkness and watched as a long legged sweet butt walked over to Opie and tried to slither into his arms. The sweet butt wouldn't take no for an answer and the rest of the boys weren't really helping- they were making fun of him, edging the sweet butt on.

Dana stepped into the room and made her presence known. The boys saw her and dispersed, knowing that they were in for it if they continue to fuck with Op. The sweet butt was clearly not so bright as she continued to push up on Opie, against his wishes. She looked back at Dana and returned her attentions back to the man she was currently trying to fondle. "Hey, get a fucking clue and back the fuck off," Dana shouted, crossing the distance between the sweet butt and her in mere seconds.

The sweet butt turned around and faced her. Dana drank her and her dirty weave in and knew that she didn't have the tolerance to do her breathing deeply technique tonight. She knew that if the sweet mama got smart, she would bash her face in and then bury the body somewhere along a dirt road. Things were about to get ugly, whether or not she wanted it to.

"Listen, I was here first. So take a fucking number and pick up the other girl's leftovers, because this one is mine," the sweet butt replied. Dana sucked her teeth and inhaled deeply. The sweet butt thought that she was one of the mamas after the boys. She glanced down to her tight tank top that was riding up her stomach and understood how she could make that distinction, but it didn't matter. Her blood was boiling. She compared her to a whore. A crow eater. How? Dana thought she had more character than that. Clearly not. Clearly.

"Honey, he doesn't want your infectious hands on him. So I suggest you take a number down at the local clinic and get hosed down with some antibiotics before I put your face through a fucking wall," Dana barked. The sweet butt laughed in response to her threat. The boys ooo-ed and ahh-ed at the display in front of them. By now it was too late, she had to do some damage or the club would think less of her. Not that she cared, she needed to do some damage or she would lose her fucking mind. She needed to release some stress.

Dana ran her arms through her hair, resting them at the top of her head, thinking of what to say and do next. Thinking of the best way to dispose of the body. The boys were drunk. They would be no help. She would have to do this on her own. There were no forests to leave the body in, in Nevada. So the desert it is, she thought to herself. She was picturing the scenario. Playing it out in her head. Reviewing the options she had.

"Oh my god," the sweet butt said, staring at her and removing herself from Opie's side. "You're his old lady?" She whispered, pointing to the tattoo on Dana's wrist. Dana dropped her hands to her side and sighed. "Worse," Dana replied, walking over to a nearby table and picking up her cut. She slipped into it, a sweet smile on her face.

The sweet butt glared at her and almost cried. "So you broke three cardinal rules of being a sweet ass. You insulted a crow. You are trying to sleep with my man. And you mistook me for being a whore like you. Now I'm gonna have to teach you a lesson," Dana said. Before she could finish her sentence, the sweet butt was off, running across the room, but she underestimated Dana once again.

Dana was quick and strong. She caught up to the sweet butt and grabbed her by the throat, throwing her backwards. "Don't make me break a sweat. It'll just be worse for you," she said, grabbing the girl by her weave and dragging her towards the back door. "Come on, Dana. Let her go, she's didn't know any better," Opie said, standing up from his chair and walking towards them.

"Stay out of this Opie. Or you'll be next," Dana replied, finishing her trek behind the building, where the dumpster were. "Whatever you do, don't kill her and leave the body in the dumpsters," Tig yelled, as Dana shut the back door, separating them from the rest of the party. She glanced down at the woman in front of her and felt a twinge of sympathy. The sweet butt grabbed on to Dana's legs and began to cry. "Please, I didn't know. I hadn't seen you before, so I figured you just rode in looking for a man. I had to stand up to you or else every other girl would walk all over me," she pleaded.

Dana shook her off and helped her stand up. She reached into her back pocket and pulled out a wad of cash. "Get a motel. Some food. Take a shower. Relax. Rethink your line of work because if I ever see you again, I will give you the beating you should be getting right now," she said, shoving the girl towards away from her. The sweet butt nodded and grabbed the money, walking away fast.

Dana stared after her, realizing that that could've been her. When you're born in Charming and you don't have two nickels to rub together, that's all you have. That's what you strive for. If she hadn't followed in her father's footsteps, that would've been her. She would've been after Tyler or Jax to make her an old lady so she would actually be something other than a pair of tits and a warm hole.

But now she was a crow. She was someone. An outlaw. A convict. A mother. A wife. She was Dana.

Proud not to be a sweet butt.

Like her mother.

---

"I'll take care of the body tomorrow," Dana reassured Tig, heading to the bar for a drink. "You couldn't do it, could you?" Opie whispered, sliding up to her, pouring himself a drink. Dana glanced at him and then back to the boys. She grabbed the bottle and motioned for Opie to join her as she led the way to a dark corner of the bar.

"What do you know about that?" She asked, downing her shot and her sorrows. "What everyone else knows. That your mom was a sweet butt and that's how she became your dad's old lady." He replied. Dana shook her head and thought back to her mother. That crazy bitch. Those were the words that came to mind. Crazy. Bitch. That's what she was. That's why Dana was glad she was gone. Left them when Dana was 15. It didn't matter; she wasn't there half the time anyway. She mostly spent her time at the local bars or in the bedroom- you can guess the rest.

Their family didn't stand a chance with her sweet butt mother. The woman was wild, just wanted to be on the move. Didn't come home unless she needed money, food or a place to sleep without having to look over her shoulders. "She was a sweet butt when she met my dad. She got pregnant. No one really knows if he is my real father, but as the story goes, he couldn't leave her there pregnant with me in the middle of nowhere. She told him some sob story about abuse and he ate it up. 9 months later, I'm in Charming and she's gone. She would disappear every so often, said she didn't want to be married or have a kid. She just wanted a warm place to sleep. No strings. My dad had no choice. He kept me and tried to raise me the best way he could think of- like a crow."

Opie nodded and poured himself another shot. "Thanks for coming to the rescue back there. I didn't want to give the guys any reason to start acting like the assholes they normally are, times four," he said. She nodded, retrieving a pack of cigarettes and lighting one up. "Do you think you'll ever be able to see another woman without thinking about Donna first?" She asked, handing him one.

He shrugged his shoulders and took a pull. "I guess when the right one comes along," he whispered, staring into her eyes. Dana nodded, pouring them another round of shots. "It's gonna be a long night, huh?" He asked, reaching for his shot glass. "I didn't kick her ass. I must blow steam some way or another. I figured, I can drink until I pass out and that'll be enough for me."

---

"Come on, Op! You're gonna miss breakfast. We're hitting the road in about an hour!" Jax yelled, pounding on the door. Dana groaned at the sunlight slapping her on the face and flipped over, her head colliding with a solid object in the bed. She sat up in bed and stared down at Opie. Opie. In the bed. FUCK! She glanced down, mortified at realizing that she was just wearing a t-shirt, his t-shirt, and a pair of panties. No bra. Which could mean one of two things- they had sex and she got cold or she was just really drunk to realize what she was doing.

She reached over and shook him, receiving a disgruntled response. "What the fuck, Op?" She asked, slapping his chest to help him wake up. "What are you doing in here?" He replied, sitting up in bed. Dana shook her head and climbed out of the bed, looking for her clothes. "I have no fucking clue, Opie. What the hell happened last night?" Opie followed suit, revealing that he was naked.

"SHIT! Do you think any of the boys saw?" Opie asked, grabbing his boxers off the floor and slipping into them. "It doesn't matter because they will find out when I'm seen walking out of your fucking room," she replied, slipping into her tank top. He shook his head, rubbing his face for an answer. "What do we do?"

Dana stopped moving and inhaled deeply, letting it out slowly. She was freaking the fuck out. "I don't think we had sex, so we just need to come up with an alibi to explain why I spent the night in your room," she replied. Opie slipped his hat on and began to gather up all his things. "We could tell them that I was having a hard time with everything that happened last night with the sweet butt, in respect to Donna," he said, shoving all of his belonging into a duffel bag. "And how do you know we didn't do it?"

She scoffed. "One, we are going to hell for using your dead wife as a cover for our fuck up and two, I haven't had sex in about 4 years, Op. I'm pretty sure that if you fucked me with what you just flashed me with, the entire town would know that we had sex last night," she replied, slipping into the last of her clothing and fixing her hair. "Good luck," Opie whispered, opening the bedroom door and letting her out. Dana exited the room rapidly, trying to make it to her room unnoticed. She thought she made it until she turned the corner that led to her room and found all the boys standing in front of the bedroom door.

They began to hoot and holler at her- well almost all of them did. Tyler, Jax and Clay didn't look too happy. She knew the rules. She knew what it looked like. Fucking an old lady that didn't belong to you was cause for your removal from the club. It was both Opie's and her neck on the line. And Tyler would be making the call.

Sweet.


	7. Tension

Dana fidgeted in her seat. Tensions were high and she knew that there was nothing she could do to relieve them. They had each come to their own conclusions. Opie and her had no choice other than to accept whatever punishment they were to be handed. They fucked up. There was no other way around it.

Clay lit his cigar, hoping that the smoke would bring clarity to his thoughts. He thought it was kind of ironic that he always looked to his cigars for clarity. He knew that things between Tyler and Dana would take a turn for the worse. If they weren't having issues before, they were definitely gonna have them now. He didn't care if Dana slept with Opie. It had nothing to do with him. If anything, he was glad that Dana was getting Op to come out of his shell. He still felt guilty about Donna's death. That blood was on his hands. He was gonna take her side anyways- he couldn't risk losing her once again. He needed her if he was gonna make the moves him and Gemma were planning. He needed her. "If you guys say that nothing happened, then I believe you. This all depends on Tyler. Discuss amongst yourselves and then let me know what you decide. Based on that, I'll decide what happens to the both of them," he said, standing up from his chair and exiting the room.

Jax watched as Clay removed himself from the situation. He knew Clay didn't want to take sides. Whatever decision he made, he was gonna lose an ally, a friend that could come in handy. He would either piss off Tyler, Dana or Opie- which in turn would also piss off Piney. These were all people he needed and depended on every day. It wouldn't be fair to strip one of them of their patches. If they got rid of Opie, Dana would have to go too. The choice was ultimately in Tyler's hands. He was the one that would make the call- she was his old lady even if the divorce papers went through. The two would be bound together for ever, which could be an unfortunate thing for all of them.

"What do you think, Jax? Do you believe them?" Tyler asked, taking a pull of his cigarette. Jax cocked his head to the side and stared at Dana. He knew that he had no right making a call on this. Whether or not Opie and Dana had sex the night before, it didn't matter. They had. They had sex for years behind Tyler's back. Before the marriage. During the marriage. In his car. In his bed. The club house. On his kitchen floor. They did it everywhere. Everyday. He had no right to comment.

Jax felt something inside of him move. Jealousy. Rage. Sadness. He didn't know what, but it stirred deep inside his core and it left him wondering about her and Op. And why she wasn't spending her nights with him anymore. He thought back to Tara and his heart stopped. He loved her. Always did, but something kept bringing him back to Dana. Something just… Jax sighed and shook his head. "I think she's telling the truth, Ty. Opie has been acting kind of funny lately. She's just trying to help. We're the fucked up ones, we always have our minds in the gutter," he said, glaring right at her.

Dana stared right back at him and understood what he was really saying. He didn't believe her. He knew all about her indiscretions- shit, they were all with him. She knew he was thinking about their moments together and then focusing on her and Op. Jax stood up from his chair and exited the room, leaving Dana and Tyler alone together. Silence filled the room as Tyler inhaled deeply and let it out slowly, running his hands over his face. She took this as a sign of victory and took her eyes off of him, closing them and rubbing her face also.

Before she knew it, he had grabbed her by the throat and lifted her out of her seat. Tyler slammed her up against the wall and brought his face inches away from hers. Dana grasped at his hands, struggling to get a breath in. Tears slipped out of her eyes as she reached out and tried to grab some of his hair, anything to let her survive the rage that was coursing through him right now. "You cheated on me. You let him touch you. He saw what is mine," he said, loosening his grip on her throat. Dana coughed hard as the air rushed back into her body.

Tyler began to rip the articles of clothing off her body. "Stop," she said, pushing him away with all her strength. But it was futile. All her attempts were in vain as he pulled his arm back and punched her in the face. Repeatedly. Before he knew it, she was on the floor, whimpering. Tyler stood back and saw what he had done to her. She was almost naked, her pants around her knees. Her bra half off. Her shirt ripped to shreds. Her face was a mess, blood running down her chest. Blood staining what used to be her favorite white bra. Blood. Because of him.

He realized what he had done. He had become his father. The one he swore he would never be like. The one he joined SamCro for. To prove that he was nothing like him while joining what he loved most. But it was too late. He was him. He was angry, jealous and a serious problem. He was his father- the one that beat his mother until the day he died. Tyler shook his head, his heart rate increasing as he processed what had just happened. Before he knew it, arms were around him, dragging him out of the room. Dragging him away from her. He knew he had lost her now. She was no longer his. He had crossed the line.

Jax ushered the rest of the guys out of the room, shutting the doors behind him. He walked over to her, kneeling a couple of feet away from her- not wanting to startle her. "Dana. Can you get up for me?" He whispered, pulling a handkerchief from his pocket. Dana tried to get up, but her knees were too weak. Her body was broken and her heart was frail. She trembled as she pushed Jax off of her. She didn't need no fucking assistance. She was Dana. She was the bad ass female that had conquered SamCro. She had been through shit that was 10 times more worse than this. The only thing that made this hit harder than his fists was that it was him. Her husband. Her Tyler. Yeah, she had cheated on him. Didn't mean she didn't love some parts of him. He was her best friend. Her companion in life. The father of her daughter. He was a shitty husband but he was a part of her. Until now.

"Get the fuck out," she growled, standing up, holding on to the wall for support. "Let me help you. Let me take a look at you. You don't need to be alone right now," he replied, reaching for her arm. She slapped is arm away and grabbed him by the collar of his shirt. "Get the fuck out!" She yelled once again, shoving him away for emphasis. Jax stared at her, shaking his head. He exited the room but not before feeling that feeling once again. This time- it scared him.

---

Dana exited the room she was staying in with a chip on her shoulder. Shit to be taken care off. Her duffel bag in tow. Each step she took echoed off the walls as her black boots hit the floor, her tight black jeans rubbed together and her cut crinkled. Big, black sunglasses framed her face and her hair was wild. She felt free for some odd reason, as she strapped the bag onto her bike. The boys followed suit, all moving in silence. They didn't know what to make out of the situation. Clay had just ordered them to pack up their shit. They would deal with their dirty laundry back in Charming. And Dana was fine with just that. She didn't look back not once to see the faces of the men around her. She didn't care. She knew what she had to do. She knew.


	8. Informal Business

She stood aside, letting him enter her home- her safe haven. "I bring goodies," Opie said, holding up a brown paper bag. Dana grabbed the bag out of his hand and opened it up, revealing a bottle of Johnny Walker and some Tylenol. She grinned, knowing that she couldn't stay mad at him. It wasn't his fault that things went down the way they did. He had no control over Tyler and his actions, but she knew he felt guilty. She knew that he was blaming himself for not being there to protect her. To save her from him.

"Thanks," she mumbled, tearing the Tylenol box open and removing a few pills from the bottle. She popped them in her mouth and washed it down with some of the Walker. "Easy there, tiger," he said, sitting down on the couch. Dana shrugged and walked into the kitchen, grabbing some glasses for them. She walked back into the living room and poured them each some of the alcohol. "Let's hope tonight doesn't turn out like last night," she said, handing him his drink and sitting down next to him.

Opie turned and faced her, taking in the damage. "I should've done something. I shouldn't have let you face them alone," he whispered, taking a swig of his drink. Dana scoffed and downed her drink in one sip. She coughed, as the fiery liquid burned going down. "There was nothing you could've done, Op. He would've either done it there or waited until we got back to Charming. Either way he was gonna explode," she said, reaching over and pouring herself another batch.

He stared at her quietly, reaching out and caressing her face with his hands. She pulled away softly, not quite knowing how to feel about what was clearly going on. She had felt that slight amount of tension between them and she didn't know what to do about it. She had mixed feelings about Opie. Hell, she had mixed feelings about herself right now.

She wasn't in the right frame of mind to make decisions about herself as she felt the room start to spin slowly. I need to slow my roll down, she thought to herself, striking up a conversation with Opie. She was trying to divert the attention from what proved to be the impossible. Before she knew it, he had her face between his hands and he was kissing her. Dana froze but her lips kept on going as his kiss turned into a full on make out session.

She felt her stomach turn and jumped up from the couch, running towards the bathroom. Dana dropped to her knees and emptied out her stomach contents into the toilet. Opie appeared behind her and flushed the toilet when she was done. She leaned against the wall and sighed. "Well, the night didn't quite go how I had planned," she said. He chuckled, giving her a hand and helping her off the floor. He dragged her into her bedroom and tucked her in. Opie sat on the edge of the bed and glanced down at her, wondering what the fuck he was doing.

"I'm sorry for kissing you. I don't know what I was thinking," he said, staring into her eyes. She nodded, settling into bed. "I think you should leave before anything else happens," she whispered, reaching over to the night stand and turning off the light. He nodded and stood up from the bed, exiting the room. He glanced back at her before he went down the hallway, towards the front door.

---

They slid into the booth at the local diner, picking up their menus and flipping through it. After the waitress came over and took their beverage orders, Jax cleared his throat, addressing Opie, Tyler and Dana. "I called this meeting because we need to get past this. We can't go about club business when you're holding grudges against the next guy- the one that is on your team," he said.

They grunted and shifted in their seats, neither of them wanting to make the first move. The waitress came back with their drinks and took their orders. "Come on, we don't have all night," he continued, waiting patiently. Tyler cleared his throat, knowing that things were gonna be bad between all of them no matter what Jax made them say. "We're cool," he mumbled, taking a sip of his drink. Opie nodded and Dana shrugged.

Jax had no other choice but to take them for their words and actions. He knew that he wouldn't get anything better than that from either one of them, so he gave up and tried to enjoy what was left of his evening. Dinner was passable, Dana and Opie were trying to make the best of the situation while Tyler was just his usual jolly self. When dinner was done, Jax picked up the bill and they exited the diner, heading to their corresponding modes of transportation.

As they walked around the building, Jax spotted a figure looming over their bikes. He stopped walking and crouched behind the dumpster, the others following suit. "What is it?" Tyler asked, peering over the dumpster. "Mayans, trying to boost our bikes," Jax whispered. "Let's take care of this," Dana said, retrieving a gun from the inside of her cut. She twisted on a silencer at the end of it and removed the safety.

The crew moved closer towards the Mayan that was currently dismantling Jax's bike. He was moving quick, knowing that he was in SOA territory and that at any moment the owner could come back and start a war. But this time around, there wouldn't be any war, because there wouldn't be any dead bodies to start one.

They surrounded the lone Mayan and caught his attention. He drew his gun, landing it on Tyler. The men froze, thinking of how to work the stand off they were currently in. Seconds later, the Mayan's brain was splattered all over Opie's face and Dana's gun was smoking. They all stared at the man laying before them, mixed emotions amongst them.

"I'll head to the club house for the tow truck," Tyler said, walking over to his bike. "I have a tarp in the trunk," Dana said, unlocking her car and rummaging around for it. Jax looked around for any witnesses and upon finding none he breathed a sigh of relief. "Give me your car keys. Ride with Opie and get cleaned up. I'll take care of our friend here," he said, grabbing the tarp and her keys.

Dana nodded, taking her gun apart and replacing it in it's rightful place- the left inside pocket of her cut. Jax threw a handkerchief at Opie and shooed them off as he rolled the body up inside the tarp. Dana and Opie drove off, checking the mirrors for any signs of other Mayans. They rode in silence as the adrenaline rush flowed through Dana's veins. She knew that what she did was wrong, but it made her feel alive. Made her feel like life was worth living.

"Is that basically what you do for a living?" Opie asked, as he pulled up to her house. Dana turned around, speechless. She didn't know how to answer the question. She didn't want to be on the wrong side of this conversation. "It is what I primarily do for the club. It's what I'm good at. It's what I know. I'm sorry for what I had to do back there," she replied, climbing out of the truck and ending the conversation.

Before she shut the door, she glanced back and saw his face. A look of disgust sat on it. She sighed and shut the door, walking briskly to her door and into her safe haven. She shook her head sadly, shedding her cut. She didn't know if she should be disgusted with him for looking down on her for doing what was necessary for the club or if she should be disgusted with herself for what she did. She couldn't help it. She felt no remorse every time she took a life. She felt nothing.

Dana fell on to her couch and lit a cigarette.

She was a monster.

And she didn't feel a damn thing about that statement.

---

Dana pulled into the driveway and shut her truck off. Jax had managed to return it back spotless and in one piece, something she was glad about. She knocked on the front door and took a deep breath in as she heard footsteps approach. The door swung open moments later and Opie stood in front of her. "I was just putting the kids to bed," he said, crossing his arms over his chest. "I'll wait, " she stated, pushing past him and entering the house.

Ten minutes later, Opie plopped down into the chair across from her in the living room and sighed, throwing his feet up on the coffee table and removing his hat. He ran a hand through his hair and stared at her. Dana lit a cigarette and inhaled deeply, not quite sure why she was here. She didn't know why but she knew that it was right. She didn't understand why she needed or wanted his approval but there she was, on his couch, looking for words to put her in the right. Looking for words that would clean the image that he had of her.

"What are you doing here?" He asked, lighting his own cigarette. "I feel like things didn't end on a good note when you dropped me off," she replied, tapping the end of her cigarette to remove the built up ash. "Well that because they didn't. I'm still trying to wrap my head around it," he said, standing up from the chair and walking into the kitchen, returning moments later with a six-pack of beers. "What is there to understand? I killed someone, Opie. Don't act like you've never taken a life for the club," she said, grabbing a beer from the package.

"Yeah, but I don't enjoy it or do it with such ease like you. You're like a serial killer in the making." Dana scoffed and told him to go fuck himself. "I don't take joy in it. As a matter of fact I don't feel anything towards it. It's a job. I do it and go about my way, like as if it was nothing." Opie shrugged his shoulders, not really caring anymore. "I was just shocked. How easy you went about it. I feel like I should fear for my life," he muttered.

Dana scoffed and took a sip of her beer. "Never. I would never turn my gun on someone that I cared for," she said. Opie perked up at her statement and sat up in his chair, but as soon as his heart skipped a beat at what she said, it sunk at what he thought he should be saying instead. He should be telling her that he didn't feel any type of way towards her. That he was a widow and that he would stay as one, but what he really wanted to do was kiss her and make her his. That's what he wanted, but he knew that things didn't quite work like that. Only in his mind.

"Are you going to the Charming formal?" He asked, thinking back to last year's monstrosity of a party and how mad Gemma was when the Sons completely disobeyed her orders and got trashed before the party, showing up to destroy her creation. Gemma started the annual Charming formal thrown by the Sons of Anarchy years ago. It was the one time that she could bring all of Charming together and get the club dressed up.

She spent months in advance planning it. Everything had to be perfect and everybody had to be dressed perfectly. Black tie and she would take nothing less than that. It was her baby and last time around the club spent months groveling at her feet so that she would talk to them once again and so that Clay would get off their backs. They apologized, begged, pleaded and before they knew it Gemma was using them as personal slaves and they promised to make the next Charming formal a night to remember- a good night. She had them all helping her set up and clean up and she swore that they would uphold their end of the bargain or they would suffer.

"Yeah, I told Gemma I would help her make some of the party favors and what not. So I have no other choice than to show up," she said, placing the empty beer bottle into the package. She reached for another one when her cell phone rang. She reached into her pocket, pulled it out and answered. It was a short conversation. Mere seconds, but she stood up with a determined look on her face and headed for the door. "Sorry. Gotta run," she said, opening the front door.

Opie stood up and followed her. "Would you like to go to the formal with me?" He blurted out, blushing as soon as the words left his mouth. Dana turned around and faced him, one foot outside the door. "Do you think that's a good idea?" She asked, not really giving a damn about Tyler but about him. He shrugged and chuckled. "I think we'll have a good time," he replied, sticking his hands deep into his pockets. Dana nodded and smiled, blushing also. "Yeah. I think we will have a good time," she replied, placing a kiss on his cheek. "Drive safe." Dana waved and walked briskly towards her truck.

Time to take care of business and take care of the trash.


	9. Special

Dana entered the bar, her jeans riding low on her hips. They were baggy in the back, nothing special. Just how she liked them. Not too tight, not too loose. Loose enough to climb over things, tight enough to still be considered women's jeans. As usual, she wore a white wifebeater that rode high on her stomach. For some reason it always found it's way there. Right at her belly button. Her tattoos that ran from her hips up, always crawling out to greet you. Her rings. Her leather cuffs. Her cut. No makeup. Nothing special. But when she walked into that bar, he looked at her like she was the most beautiful thing on the earth, let alone Charming, California. Like she was something special. He looked right into her soul and sent shivers into her body. And for that split second, she almost tripped over herself, because she knew that she was looking back at him in the same way- with her heart on her sleeve. And those old feelings were coming back to haunt her. Something special.

"I didn't want him to drive home in this condition," the bartender said, motioning to the back of the bar. Dana nodded to the bartender, laying some money on the counter as a thanks. She slid into the booth he was in and sat down next to him. He took a swig of his whiskey. On the rocks. How he loved it. These were the little things she knew about him that drove her crazy. The little things she couldn't get out of her mind. The little special things. "What are you doing to yourself, Tyler?" She whispered, caressing one of his cheeks. Tears slipped out of his eyes as he clenched them shut, burning her touch in the back of his mind.

"Don't do that," he said, pulling away from his touch. She pulled her hand back and sighed, sitting back in the booth. "What are you doing here?" He asked, taking another swig. "Bret called me. Didn't want you to drive home and since he knew you wouldn't give up your keys without a fight, he had no other choice," she replied. Tyler cleared his throat and wiped the tears from his face. "I figured I'd come here and forget all about you," he said, sitting up in the booth.

"That'll be tough to do," she said, reaching over and placing her hand on his shoulder. "Remember this?" She asked, placing her finger over the bullet hole scar he had on his right shoulder. He chuckled, reaching over and placing a hand on her thigh. "We took bullets for each other, Ty. We had a home. A life together and we have a daughter. We will never forget each other. Never," she said. Ty nodded, knowing that she was right. They would be permanent fixtures in each others lives whether they liked it or not.

"Where did we go wrong?" He asked, knowing that the answer was deeper than his infidelities. Dana shrugged. "We were young, Ty. We didn't know what we were doing. We got pregnant and then married. We thought we could make it work. Then when it didn't, we figured it was too late to go back and got stuck with the familiar bullshit we knew. And now we're here," she said, picking up his drink and taking a swig of it. He laughed and ran a hand over his face. "I love you, you know that right? I didn't mean for things to get this fucked up," he said.

And at that moment, she felt like coming clean. She felt like telling him about Jax. About everything. She felt like it. But when she opened her mouth, the words wouldn't come out. It felt like it was physically impossible for her to break up that friendship, destroy the club and mutter those words. I slept with Jax. She kept repeating them in her head and nothing came out. She was silent as Tyler placed his hands on both sides of her face and brought them closer. She kept repeating in her head as he kissed her and told her that he loved her. She kept repeating.

Dana pulled away, breathless. "Tyler, don't do this. You'll regret it in the morning. Come on, I'll drive you home. If you want, we can talk tomorrow morning about everything," she said, hoping that by tomorrow she would be able to come up with a way to own up to her mistakes. Maybe tell him she cheated but not say who. Some how, she needed to be clean once again.

Tyler followed her out of the bar and into her truck. She promised to pick his bike up from the bar tomorrow as long as he didn't throw up in her truck. As she pulled on to his street, Tyler began to cry softly in the front passenger seat. Dana looked back and forth between him and the street, not sure what to do. "What's wrong?" She asked, surprised that he was so forth coming with his emotions. Usually he was a brick wall when it came to showing any feelings. Something special.

"The lawyer is serving you with your divorce papers tomorrow afternoon," he mumbled, opening the door as soon as Dana pulled up to his house. She shifted into park and jumped out of the truck, following him into the house. Tyler stomped his way upstairs into what used to be their bedroom and began to remove his clothes. "Come on, Tyler. We were barely anything that could be considered marital before I got locked up. It was just a technicality. You should be jumping for joy that we're getting a divorce," she said, helping him take his shirt off.

Tyler grunted and climbed into the bed. "How can you say that? Like as if our marriage wasn't worth a fucking thing to you! I know I fucked up, but at least I'm showing some God damn emotion right now. You're just a cold hearted bitch," he said. Dana walked over to him and punched him in the chest. "You want some damn emotion? I spent years crying over you! I'm done right about now. So don't blame me for being all cried out, you big fucking baby!" She yelled, punching him once again.

She walked away, stopping in front of the door and looking back at him. She watched as he stared back at her and she felt sad. Sad that tomorrow she would finally be free. Sad that he was finally feeling something for her. She was just sad. But then again, she was feeling something. Something special.

---

Dana sighed as she finished hot gluing the party favor together. Some sort of torture that Gemma had designed for her. But if that wasn't bad enough, she had invited Tara to help. Dana grinded her teeth as she thought up of the many ways that she could make Tara suffer with the help of her hot glue gun. "You look very nice today," Tara said, trying to fill the deafening silence that had taken over Gemma's house.

Dana looked down at the black SOA halter top she was wearing and rolled her eyes. "Yeah, I'm expecting a very important delivery today," she muttered. "What did you order? A special dress for tomorrow night?" Gemma said, walking in from the kitchen with lemonade for the girls. Dana scoffed and reached for a glass. "I wish. I'm getting served with divorce papers today. YAY!" She said, her voice full of sarcasm.

"Ouch," Gemma said, handing Tara her glass. "If it's one thing that everyone needs to know about being involved with a son, is that nothing will be easy and that everything will be full of drama," she continued to say, sitting down at the table and reaching for an incomplete party favor. "Tell me about, it's been hell the last couple of weeks, nothing but bullshit," Dana said, taking a sip of her drink. "I haven't had any problems with Jax," Tara said, giving them her two cents.

Gemma leaned back in her chair and watched Dana for any signs of violence. Dana cocked an eyebrow and grinned at the stupid woman in front of her. She knew that she had to spark the fire between those two. "Well that's good. I think you may have gotten the only son that isn't an ass," she said, finishing her work on the party favor. Dana scoffed, playing with her hot glue gun."Oh please, only reason Jax hasn't kicked her to curb for being on his ass is because she hasn't been smart enough to start checking up on him," she said.

Tara put her hot glue gun down and stared dead straight at her. "Oh, please. Jax isn't like other crows that can't keep their dicks in their pants. And I'm not like their deadbeat girls that can't keep a man pleased," she replied, a smirk on her face. Dana stood up and in one swift move she was up in Tara's face, grabbing her by her hair.

"See you seem to have forgotten your manners. I've let you get away with shit for so long but you're speaking to a crow. Now that may not mean nothing to you, but you treat me like I'm the mother fucking queen around here, because it's the respect that I earned and deserved. Next time I need to remind you of who I am, I'll take you out back and show you like the whore you are," she barked, releasing her hold on Tara and walking away.

Dana picked up her cut and slid into it. "Gemma, if you need anything else from me, please call me and let me know. Other than that, I believe I'm done here," she said, heading towards the front door. Seconds later, the sounds of her car turning on and backing out of the driveway were heard. Gemma shook her head and looked over at Tara. "You can't talk to her like that. She's a member of SOA whether you like her or not. The guys won't kick your ass, but she will Tara. You need to be careful of what you say to her. It can come back to bite you in the ass," she said.

Tara shook her head and shrugged. "I'm not scared of that bitch, Gemma. I've taken her on before and if need be, I'll do it again," she said, returning back to the party favor she was currently working on. Gemma shook her head and laughed to herself. Perfect, she said to herself. This was going perfect. Her formal would be perfect, but when she tells Dana what Tara just said, it will become special. Special to her at least. Oh well. At least she'll get rid of Tara for her.

---

The crew sat around the bar, drinking beers and chatting about what they were wearing to the formal. Tyler had managed to survive the night and joined them in discussing the tacky formal clothes they used to wear when they went to prom. Some of them even had pictures of their prom night. "Dude, I loved Juice's lavender tuxedo. Classic," Dana said, as she popped the top off her beer bottle and took a swig.

The bar door opened and a man stuck his head in, looking at his clipboard. "Bar is closed," Half-Sack said, while wiping down the counter. "I'm looking for a Dana Wilson," the man, stepping inside the bar. The boys turned and looked at the man, weary of him. "I'm Dana. What's it to you?" She asked, standing up from her perch on the pool table and putting her beer bottle down. "You've been served," the man said, walking over towards her and handing her the envelope.

Dana opened the envelope and shook her head. "Nice, Tyler," she said, placing the papers back in the envelope and waving it around in the air. "Couldn't have picked a better place," she said, shaking her head. The guys stayed quiet, not quite sure what to say or do in this situation. Dana chugged what was left of her beer and walked out of the bar. She hopped in her truck and drove off, no destination in mind.

The guys stared at Tyler and shook their heads. "You're such an asshole, Ty. You couldn't have dropped them at her house? Poor girl is probably humiliated," Chibs said. Tig laughed and took a pull on his cigarette. "Yeah, right. She's far from humiliated. I wouldn't be surprised if the police find you tomorrow morning with a bullet in between the eyes," he said, cackling at the thought.

---

Jax knocked on her front door and waited for the sounds of footsteps to approach. He didn't hear any and worried. Her truck was in the driveway. She had to be home. He needed to see her. He needed to speak to her. He needed to know if it was true. He knocked harder and yelled out her name, hoping she was home. "What is it?" He heard her yell from inside, seconds before the door swung open and she greeted him half naked. Dana was dressed, better yet- barely dressed, in a black sports bra and a pair of black booty shorts.

She stepped aside and let him in the house, wondering what the hell he was doing there. Jax glanced down at her bare feet, smiling at them. "I always loved that about you. You'll never paint your fingernails but you always do your toenails," he said. Dana chuckled. It was the little things. They were what made things specials. "You always did notice whenever I changed them," she replied, walking over to the couch and leaning on the arm.

She suddenly felt slightly naked in front of him as his eyes raked over her body. "Is it true that the divorce is final?" He asked, getting straight to the point. "Well. I have to sign. Then he has to sign. Then the lawyers do their thing. Why? What's it to you?" She asked, her curiosity sparked.

And then he did that thing he always did. He pushed his hair behind his ear. That alone sent shivers through her body. He smiled at her. She smiled at him. Jax took his cut off and placed it next to her, a shit eating grin on his face. "You never did give me the grand tour," he said, as he made his way towards the stairs. Dana drank him in. His swag. The way he walked. So sexy. So special.

Before she knew it, he had disappeared upstairs and his shirt was laying on the end of the banister. She sighed and giggled to herself. Dana breathed deeply and tried to collect herself before she went upstairs and made a complete fool of her existence.

She had to make this special.


	10. Crystal Clear

There she was. Once again set up for disaster. Once again he was in her bedroom. On her bed. Waiting patiently for her to finish making up her own mind. She never fell into his arms without debating what she was doing and if it was right. They knew they were both wrong. But it never stopped them. Never made them leave before it was too late. If anything, the fact that it was wrong turned them on even more. The adrenaline rush. The fear that he would come home at any moment. But this time around, he wouldn't be coming home. There was no chance of it. This time, they didn't have to worry about putting the place back together. Leave no evidence. Leave no tell tale signs. This time.

She slipped into his arms with no protest, just like the first time. Jax kissed her, grasping her face with his hands. Feeling the skin he hadn't touched in years. Dana ran her fingers through his hair, taking in his scent. The one she had burnt into the back of her head. The one she thought she would never smell again. Up close and personal. They kissed for what seemed like ages and she felt like melting into the bed sheets. She felt like the world was coming to an end as he entered her, giving her what she had spent the last couple of years dreaming about. Being his.

She dug her nails into his back, throwing her head back and gasping for air. She felt like she was being reborn as he made sweet love to her. Late afternoon. Curtains drawn. Room nice and cold. Just how they liked it. But now there was no need to run and hide. Look over their backs. Cover their tracks with unnecessary lies and half truths.

Their bodies moist and sticky, muscles moving together and heartbeats in sync. They looked at each other dead straight in the eyes as they finished. They didn't need to hide. They knew each other inside and out. There was no hiding from each other. When they were done, they parted. Each falling on to a side of the bed, breathing deeply. No words were said as Jax stood up and slid into his underwear. Dana stood up from the bed and wrapped herself in one of the sheets they had ripped off of the bed. She sat on the edge and watched him as he got dressed.

"What are we doing here, Jax?" She whispered, pushing her wild hair behind her ears and wiping the sweat off of her forehead. He shook his head and sat down next to her, grabbing her hand and placing it in his. "I have no clue," he whispered back, honestly not knowing where they stood. "I was gonna leave him before I got arrested. I was ready."

"I love Tara, Dana. I love you. I don't know what to do," he said. Dana pulled her hand away from his and laughed. "So what was the point of coming over here? Getting some last minute ass before the divorce?" She said. He shook his head, standing up and pacing in front of her. "I love her, Dana. You can't help who you love." Dana continued to laugh and pointed towards the door. "Get out, Jax. I never want to see you dock on my doorstep again or I swear to God I'll tell little miss fucking Tara how long I've been on my knees for you," she drawled, walking over to him and shoving him towards the door.

"Come on. I don't know what you expect me to do or say here," he said, walking towards the door. Dana opened her mouth to tell him that she wanted him to say was that he loved her and that he would leave Tara for her. Do what she was willing to do for him. "I have to think about Abel now. He needs a family. A home. Tara wants to do all that and more." But it was too late now. It was all clear now. "Get out, Jax."

Crystal fucking clear.

---

Dana placed the box full of party favors on the counter and took a pull of her cigarette. "You okay, darling?" Gemma said, placing a hand on her shoulder, offering comfort to the only ally she had against Tara. She didn't need her having a mental break down now, not when they were so close to getting rid of her, once and for all. "Just trying to hang in there," Dana responded, placing party favors on each table around her. "I thought you and Tyler were done for good. So why the long face?"

Dana froze and glanced across the room, her eyes falling on Jax, who was across the room, setting up the buffet tables that would hold the food. She quickly focused back on the party favors and walked away from Gemma, who had her lips twisted into a sinister smirk. Something must have happened between those two, she thought to herself. As if the tension wasn't thick enough with everything that was happening between Tyler and Dana, now Gemma had to make sure that Jax didn't have a part in ruining her grand night.

This entire charade of the Charming formal wasn't for Charming or the club. It was for her. She wanted all eyes on her once again. Charming looked up to her and the fake front she puts up to gain their admiration. Tonight had to be perfect, she wouldn't stand for anything less. But then again, this would be the perfect opportunity to end it all.

Gemma followed Dana around the room, placing the silverware on the tables. "Well, I think that after that little talk you had with Tara, nothing seemed to penetrate that hard head of hers. She's running around telling people that she took you on once and that she'll gladly do it. The nerve on that little bitch," Gemma said, hoping that her words were striking a nerve. She received no response from Dana, who kept on working through her statement.

---

"What is this I'm hearing from my lawyer? That you changed your mind and that you refuse to sign the papers?" Dana asked, pulling up a chair to the table that he was currently sitting at in the clubhouse. Tyler nodded, taking a sip from his beer. "I think we should give it another try. We just need to get our shit together and our priorities straight," he said, placing a hand on her thigh.

Dana sighed and shook her head. "I'm sorry, for everything. I am really am. But we have no business being together anymore," she said, removing his hand from her thigh and getting up from the table. "I'm going to the formal tonight, with Opie. I hope you can act your age," she said, throwing her hands up and walking away from him.

She had tried to free herself from him, time and time again. But every damn time something happened to intervene. Now he refused to give her the freedom she yearned so much for. Have it your way, she thought to herself. All along she had been looking forward to Jax, but now he had made his choice. She now had to make one also. She was done with Jax and Tyler. Now all she needed to do was deal with Tara.

Her priorities were all clear now.

---

Dana giggled as Opie pinned the corsage onto her dress or tried to miserably. "The kids snuck this into my jacket pocket, something about good luck," he said, finally clasping the corsage's clip shut and stepping back. He smiled at her, blushing slightly as he drank her in and pulled out a spiderman doll from his pocket. She laughed, grabbing the doll and throwing it onto the couch. "I promise, I'll try my hardest not to bite. I don't want the kids thinking spiderman let them down," she said, heading for the door.

Dana had gone all out. She currently clad in black strapless dress that hugged every curve. Her hair was pinned up with soft long curls framing her face. As usual, her makeup was simple, but there was something about her tonight that made her glow. Something that made her light up the room. Maybe it was the diamonds she had laced herself with. Maybe it was the fact that Opie was the man on her arm as they entered the grand ballroom that the formal was being held in.

Opie looked handsome and he felt it too. He trimmed and combed his beard and hair, gelling it back to give him that sleek look. He was dressed from head to toe in black and looked as elegant as his partner. The two entered the ball room and all eyes fell upon them. It was crystal clear to everyone that the pair were meant to be together.

---

Opie and Dana sat in the middle of the room, laughing at something Tig and Chibs were saying. They had lost their dates amongst the masses and refused to be bored alone. A couple of bottles of wine later, the four SOA henchmen were half way trashed. They were being their usual selves- raunchy, disturbing and fun. "Interesting turn of events," Tig said, motioning to Dana. Opie chuckled and glanced at Dana, who was blushing.

"I'll defend you two, tooth and nail if necessary," he said, raising his glass and toasting to them. Chibs seconded that motion and before she knew it, Dana was toasting to them also. She didn't know why she was so happy all of the sudden, but it felt right. She wasn't gonna chance it, just go with it. The rest of the guys, excluding Jax and Tyler, seemed to be mighty fine with their choice to go to the formal together. Well, they all had innocent intentions, all except Tig. He just wanted to make sure Opie was happy once again. Even if it meant, kicking Tyler's ass to let go of Dana. He needed to sleep at night. He needed make everything right once again.


	11. Baby Daddy

Jax and Tyler stood at the bar, both dressed in their black tie best, courtesy of Gemma. They each stood side by side, cigars in one hand and a drink in the other. They were both staring at the table where the sons were sitting at, fawning over the new couple. Both for the same reason- Dana. "Can you believe that shit? He should be getting stripped of his cut," Tyler said, taking a pull of his cigar.

Jax shook his head and put his drink down. "You served her with divorce papers in front of the entire club. You can't say shit if you don't want to sign them yourself," he said. "What's up your ass?" Tyler barked, facing his friend. Jax threw his hands up and shrugged. "I just don't want to get involved with this, especially not tonight at Gemma's thing."

Jax walked away, heading towards the table that Tara and Hale were sitting at, eager to get away from Tyler. Tara would take his mind off the fact that his stomach was churning at the thought of Opie and Dana together.

---

Tara pulled the bathroom door open and gasped at the figure leaning against the wall across the entrance to the ladies' bathroom. "Jesus Christ. I can't even pee in peace around here," she muttered, pushing past Dana and trying to make her way back to the party. Dana grabbed her arm and dragged back into the hallway that lead towards the bathroom. Jax spotted what was sure to become an altercation at any moment and excused himself from the table he was currently sitting at.

"What is this I hear about how you kicked my ass and that you'll do it again if need be?" Dana asked, digging her fingers into her arm. "God, Gemma is such an instigator. She's been pinning us against each other for years now and you keep feeding into her bullshit. Get over yourself, Dana. I don't spend my entire day talking about you. I have a life. Shit to do," Tara said.

Dana lunged for her but was stopped short by Jax, who grabbed her and shoved her into the bathroom. "Give me a minute here," Jax said, kissing Tara on the forehead and heading into the bathroom. He made sure all the stalls were empty before he turned towards Dana and laughed. "How dare you come here with Opie and then jump down Tara's throat," he said, walking over to the bathroom door and locking it.

"The bitch deserves me putting my foot up her ass. She needs to be put in her place," Dana said, hopping up on the counter and making herself comfortable. Jax walked over to her and lifted up her skirt, running his hands up and down her thighs. "What are you doing?" She asked, pushing his hands away. "You made it clear that you and Tara were in it for the long haul."

Dana jumped down from counter and fixed her dress, her eyes staring at him coldly. "You and the widow have no business being together. Don't try to use him to get back at me," Jax said. She scoffed, shaking her head, not believing what was coming out of his mouth. "You made it clear that you were gonna stick with the bitch, so you shouldn't give a fuck what me and Opie do," she said, brushing past him and heading for the door.

"I'm gonna make her my old lady. It's the right thing to do, considering she's pregnant," Jax said, leaning against the counter. Dana froze and took a deep breath in. "What?" Her voice cracked, as she struggled to control her tears. "She's pregnant, Dana. I can't let you hurt her," he replied. She turned and faced him, her chest heaving, tears streaming down her face. "Get out," she said, lifting her hand and pointing to the door, her arm shaking.

"Can we talk about this?" He asked, stepping towards her. Dana reached under her dress and pulled out a small handgun. "Out," she stated, once again. He put his hands up and headed towards the door, a worried look on his face.

Jax headed towards the bar and ordered a drink. He downed the drink in one gulp and made his way towards Gemma. "Hey honey. Did you try the roasted chicken? It's to die for," she said, reaching for a plate for him. "We have problems," he whispered in her ear, leading her towards the bathroom.

---

Jax walked over to the table where the boys were sitting at, entertaining Tara with random embarrassing stories about him. He leaned down and whispered in her ear. Tara nodded, standing up from the table and saying her goodbyes. "What's up, brother?" Happy asked, motioning to Tara, who was making a beeline towards the door. Jax shook his head. "Just a precaution," he said, taking a seat at the table and lighting a cigar.

---

"What the hell are you doing in here?" Gemma asked, locking the bathroom door behind her. Dana paced the bathroom, tears streaming down her face. "Your son is an asshole, Gemma. Did you know he knocked her up? He's making her his old lady," she managed to say in between sobs. Gemma shook her head and walked up to her, grabbing her by the shoulders and forcing her to look at her. "We tried to keep them apart, Dana. There's nothing we can do now," Gemma said.

Dana lifted her arm and showed her the gun she was carrying. "Jesus! Do you ever leave home without a piece of steel?" Gemma cried out, leaning against the bathroom wall. "You know, Gemma, you've been itching for this fight now. There's no way in hell I'm gonna let that bitch into his life permanently. I'm gonna kill her. Get rid of the body. They'll never find her," Dana mumbled.

Gemma shook her head. "Now that there's a baby involved, I can't let you do that. That's my flesh and blood in there," she said. Dana scoffed. "Come on, Gemma. I've been by your side since I was born. I'm knee deep in all the shit you've pulled. Hell, the only reason you get away with all the shit you do is because Clay and me are backing you up," Dana said. "I know where my loyalties lie, Dana. You need to reevaluate what your priorities are within the club."

Dana stopped her pacing and put her gun away. She wiped the tears off her face and smiled sweetly at the older woman in front of her. "I need to reevaluate where my priorities lie? If that isn't the pot calling the kettle black," she said, a smirk on her face. Gemma stepped closer to her and cocked an eyebrow. "I know all about you and Jax. How you've been fucking him for years. How Lilah might even be his," Gemma said, playing with one of the curls surrounding her face.

Dana laughed, running a hand up Gemma's face. "I don't know how you know. I don't care how you know. All I know and care about is that you wouldn't dare let those words leave your mouth ever again because if you do, I'll let all the pretty little secrets in my head about you- out," she replied. It was Gemma's turn to laugh. "You wouldn't dare! I raised you. I took you into my house. My family. You wouldn't dare bite the hand that feeds you!"

"You took part in killing a man that I looked up to. The man that helped you raise me. We both know that John Teller's death was no accident. That you and Clay planned it for weeks. Anything to take over what he had. YOU bit the hand that fed you and your son," Dana said. Gemma stood back, her hand over her heart. For a split second she felt that her heart was gonna jump out of her chest. "You keep my secrets. And I'll consider keeping yours," Dana whispered, as she walked past her and exited the bathroom.

---

Dana slipped back into the chair next to Opie and smiled weakly at him. "You okay?" He whispered, placing a hand on her thigh. "Yeah. Just a little tired. I say we have a couple more drinks, do a lap around the room then head back to my place," she said, leaning over and placing a kiss on his lips. Opie cocked an eyebrow and went along with everything, knowing that something wasn't right.


	12. Good Day

Opie ran his hands up and down the lean body on top of him and sighed. "Good morning," he whispered, placing a kiss on her forehead. Dana groaned, pushing her face into him, refusing to wake up. "Unless breakfast is ready or you're up and ready to take me out for some food, this is not a good morning," she said, pulling the comforter over them.

"You gotta get up. Your phone has been ringing non-stop. I gotta go and get the kids from my moms. Eventually we need to rejoin society," he said, poking her in the ribs. She groaned loudly, sliding off of him and rolling over on to the other side of the bed. Opie climbed out of the bed and stretched his limbs out. He pulled the curtains apart and flooded the room with sunlight. "Jesus, Op. You're giving my neighbors a show," Dana said, climbing out of the bed and shutting the curtains.

She leaned against the wall and stared at the naked man in front of her. "You think we have time for a shower?" She asked, walking over to him and throwing her arms around his neck. Opie smiled at her and cocked an eyebrow. "I'll make time," he said, as she hopped up and he placed his hands beneath her bare cheeks and carried her into the bathroom.

Opie kissed her gently as they stepped underneath the hot water and began to lose track of time once again. He didn't feel guilty with her. Usually that feeling of guilt would creep up on him as soon as he saw the kids. Then he would feel guilty about even speaking to another woman. He knew he couldn't keep himself cooped up in the house and never move on. He had to. He wanted to.

An hour later, they emerged from the house, both freshly showered and in their regular day to day clothes. As Dana climbed on to her bike, Opie cocked an eyebrow. "Not taking the truck today?" He asked. She shrugged, pulling her gloves on. "Only reason I drove it was because of Lilah and the car seat," she replied. Opie walked over and gave her a kiss before climbing on to his bike. "Plus, today feels like it's gonna be a good day," she said, smiling at him. He chuckled and turned his bike on.

Opie nodded at her before pulling out of her driveway and taking off down the street. She stared after him for a few moments, before snapping out of her daze. She was throwing her wet hair into a ponytail, when Jax pulled into her driveway. Dana leaned on her handlebars and stared at him. "I've been calling you for the past two hours," he said. She shrugged. "I've been busy."

"We gotta talk about this," he said, taking his helmet off. "So talk," she barked, leaning back on her bike. Jax took his sunglasses off and pulled the stand out for his bike. "I think you shouldn't be playing with Opie like this. He's been through enough with Donna and the ATF. I don't want you to fuck his life up because of me," he said. Dana scoffed and shrugged once again. "I'll learn to love him, Jax. Just how I learned to love Tyler," she said.

"You can't live your life this way. You can't settle just because things didn't go the way they were supposed to," he said. Dana sat still and stared off into the sky, not really paying attention to whatever Jax was saying. It didn't matter. They had gone too far too turn back around now.

"Jax, I think it's time you knew the truth about everything," she said, pulling out a cigarette and lighting it. He sighed and motioned for her to continue. "I don't know what it is that you think you have to tell me, but I'm listening," he said, walking over to his bike and sitting down on it. Dana racked her head, trying to come up with the right words to tell him what she had been hiding for years. Tell him everything.

"I was pregnant, Jax. Tara didn't like me. I didn't like her. We both wanted the same thing. You. I knew she was trying to get you to leave Charming with her and turn your back on the club. We had some words. The next night, she waited for me. She kicked my ass, I'll give the bitch that. She also killed my baby. She found out. The next day she was on the fastest moving thing out of Charming. Why do you think she came back while I was locked up? You go on right ahead and stick up for her. Keep on thinking that little miss Tara is harmless, because I know better," she said, putting her helmet on and turning her bike on.

Jax sat there, speechless. Not really knowing what to say or do. "Lost for words? I'm not. Here's a couple for you. I hope that bitch dies and gets what she deserves," Dana said, pulling out of her driveway. Jax yelled after her as she sped off and ignored him. He cursed himself, for being such an ignorant prick. He always stood up for those close to him blindly. He didn't question. He just followed his loyalty. Right to their death.

---

"No way in hell am I peeing in there," Dana said, exiting the clubhouse's bathroom. Tig, Chibs, and Bobby laughed while Juice handed her a cup. She smacked it away and flipped them off. "It's like a fucking venereal disease Petri dish in there," she said, pouring herself a beer. She sat on the pool table and lit a cigarette. "So how did it go last night? Ya gave Op some of that hot ghetto booty I hear you got?" Juice asked. The boys hooted and hollered.

She rolled her eyes and smirked. "Don't talk like that in front of Opie or Tyler. They'll both shit bricks. And I know you just say my ass was big," she said. "Well we can't lie about what is apparent. You have a nice, round, plump ass and our boy Op was really hoping to dig into it," Tig said. Chibs patted him on the back and nodded at Dana.

"Did Opie really say that?" She asked. The clubhouse door opened and Jax and Opie walked in together. The boys stared at them and sat silent. "Do I even want to know?" Jax asked, heading towards the chapel. "Clay's waiting for us," Opie said, motioning to their sacred room.

They all disposed of their cell phones into cigar box and entered the chapel where Clay and Tyler were already waiting for them. "I got some things to do today, so let's get this show on the road," Clay said, slamming the gavel. "Anything on the agenda today?" Jax asked, motioning to the rest of the members. After short discussions here and there about club dues and what not, Clay cut their banter short.

"I have a sit down without Irish connection. Have to go smooth out the bumps with our shipment for next month. Dana will be riding with. For the rest of you, Unser has a protection run tonight. New blu-ray DVD players and whatnot," he said. "Any objections?" With the room filled with silence and everyone on the same page, Clay slammed his gavel and everyone dispersed.

"You strapped?" Clay asked Dana, as they made their way towards their bikes. "Never leave home without it," she responded, patting her left side. It was true, she never did leave home without a gun in tow. He nodded and hopped on his bike. She followed suit, pulling out of the Teller-Morrow parking spot she was in seconds after him.

---

Twenty minutes later, they pulled up to the drop off spot. After a short meet and greet, the money the Sons had brought exchanged hands. Business for them was done. The gun shipment would arrive next month, giving them the much needed income they needed to continue making moves. "You hungry?" Clay asked, putting his helmet on. "I could eat," she responded. "I saw a diner down the road."

A few minutes later, they pulled into the diner, skeptical of what they thought was food. They entered the diner and were seat in a booth in the back, where they could see who entered or approached the diner. They might have been done with business, but there was no guarantee that they were safe yet.

"I actually wanted you on this meet with me because I wanted to talk to you about a couple of things," Clay said, motioning for the waitress. She took their order and disappeared into the kitchen. Dana sat up in her seat, weary of what was to come. "I think we need to have a chat about the future. What you see happening in the near future to you," he said.

She cocked her head to the side, not really understanding where the conversation was going. "If you're referring to me and Opie and Tyler-," she began to say, but was interrupted by him. "I don't give two shits what you do with your pussy. As long as it doesn't come between club business and members, you can fuck whoever you want and as long as Tyler is fine with it," he said. "So what the hell are we talking about here?"

"I'm talking about your future as vice president of the sons," he whispered, as the waitress approached them with their food. Dana waited until the waitress was gone to reveal her confusion. "I thought Tyler was gonna be v.p. when you stepped down and Jax became pres," she said, pouring ketchup on her fries. "Tyler has no business in upper management and we all know it. If there's a war going on and I need someone to take the trash out, he's my guy. But I need to know that I'm leaving the club in good hands, because once I step down that's it. I'm just another old fart, who gets to advise. I have no real power then," he said.

Dana ate in silence as Clay continued. "Jax is a good leader, but he has his flaws. He believes in brains over bullets all the way. But we're outlaws, we don't play in the same sandbox as the others. Sometimes you gotta shed blood. He doesn't see it that way. He wants fucking pink roses when we need dead ones at funerals." She took a sip of her drink and pondered exactly what Clay was telling her. "What are you saying here, Clay? Don't bullshit me," she said.

"I'm saying that when I step down, I need you to be the reaper on Jax's shoulder. I need you to keep him in line. Remind him of what SamCro stands for. You guys grew up together. You guys have a bond. He'll listen to you. The other guys will listen to you. I need you to keep the peace between the old ways and the new ones that I'm sure Jax will try to instill on the charter," he said. She shook her head and finished the burger she had ordered.

Her becoming vice president would mean that Jax and her would have to mend the broken fences between them. They would have to work together and she knew that there would be resistance. Dana always leaned towards Clay and his methods. Jax had his lines crossed and everyone knew that he was beginning to doubt the club and their ways. The club was her life and she needed to protect it. She also needed to move up on the food chain.

"When are you officially stepping down?" She asked. He shrugged, taking a sip of his drink. "I want to say a month or two. Gotta see how the club looks before I put him in charge." Dana reached across the table and extended her hand, knowing she was making a deal with the devil. "When you officially get your v.p. patch, I'll take you out to a fancy dinner and tell you about the old bones SamCro has in it's closet," Clay said, as he took his hand in hers.

"Only because it's a good day."


	13. Need

Gemma sat at her dining room table and smoked a cigarette while she pondered what was going on. Everything had been turned upside in a mere couple of days. Jax. Dana. The baby. Tara. She had no answers to her many questions. All she knew was that she needed to do something about it.

She knew that Dana would keep her secret until hers was out in the open. She just hoped that Jax didn't push her to spill her own secret. She knew Dana like the back of her hand. During a fit of rage, Dana was capable of anything. She had witnessed it herself- several times.

From Jax, she found out about the child that Tara killed. The child that would've made her dreams come true. A child that would've made Jax and Dana into a family. The family she really wanted. She tried to get rid of Tara using Wendy and that planned failed. She only hoped that Dana would get rid of her, after the baby was born.

Gemma wanted a family. A big one. She wanted all the sons and grandchildren she could get. She needed to have them. Leave her legacy when she was long gone. Leave all the memories she could. She needed to be remembered.

---

Tig, Dana, Juice, Bobby and Chibs pulled into the diner parking lot, surrounding the Unser truck they were currently protecting from Mayans. As the truck's driver walked into the diner for a cup of coffee, they all lit cigarettes and began discussing the latest crow eaters that were trying to crawl into the crew's pants. Minutes later, the driver emerged from the diner and resumed his position within the truck. The sons dispersed, surrounding the truck and giving the driver the go ahead.

A few miles down, Bobby glanced down at his left-hand mirror and did a double take. "MAYANS!" He yelled over the roars the bikes were making. The sons were prepared as they drew their guns and prepared to take the Mayans on. After a few exchanges of gun fire, the unexpected happened.

A Mayan soldier caught up to Dana's bike, rear ending her and making her lose control of it. The bike fell over and slid down the pavement, taking her with. The sons gave up protecting their cargo and raced to help their sister in need as the Mayan soldier stopped in front of her and opened fire. Bobby and Juice went after the Mayan as Tig and Chibs went down to their fallen comrade.

"We need to stop the bleeding and get some God damn help down here," Chibs said, pressing down on her wounds. Tig pulled out his prepaid and dialed Clay. They needed backup. Juice and Bobby pulled up to them, putting their guns away and dismounting their bikes. "We'll deal with them later. You guys need us now," Bobby said, kneeling down next to Dana, pushing back the hair on her face.

"Jax is gonna get the doc. We need to get her back to the clubhouse," Tig said, picking up her bike and pushing it to the side of the road, behind some bushes. "She's not gonna make it," Chibs said, glancing up at his brothers. He sat her up in his arms, her blood everywhere. "Dammit," Tig said, reaching down and taking in the damage. She had several bullet holes and was barely breathing.

"Try to stop the bleeding. We can't wait for the van to come here. I'll ride in with her," Tig said, hopping on his bike and putting his helmet on. Chibs ripped strips from her shirt and tried to stop the bleeding as best as he could. The sons carried her on to Tig's lap and used their belts to strap her on to him.

They broke as many laws as they had to as they rushed back to the clubhouse. They carried in Dana, throughout the club house, where all the nearby SoA had already assembled. "What the hell happened?" Opie said, as he followed them into the chapel, where they laid Dana out on the redwood table. "Mayans. Ambushed us. We lost the cargo," Juice said, glancing down at all the blood on his hands and cringing.

Opie walked over to the redwood table and clasped her hand in his, as she coughed and spit up blood. "This is bad, brother," Chibs said, as he placed gauze pads on her wounds. "You gotta do something," Opie pleaded. Chibs shook his head and pressed down on her wounds, making her yell out in pain. "I can't do anything. She needs an operating room. She needs a surgeon," he responded.

Tig stood in the corner and shaking his head as Jax entered the chapel with Tara in tow. "Tyler," Dana whispered as Tara slipped her hands into gloves. Opie let go of her hand and stepped away, shaking his head. He was by her side. Not that asshole. She should be saying his name.

"I'm gonna need to go back to the hospital. Her arm is broken and she is gonna need treatment on the burns on her legs before they get infected. I can only treat the bullet holes with what I have right now," Tara said, injecting Dana's arm with several syringes. "You gotta fix her Doc," Juice said. Tara glanced down at the woman that was dying before her and nodded. She couldn't let her die. She couldn't kill another person.

"Clear the room out and put some gloves on," she said to Chibs, arranging her clamps and whatnots on the table. With the assistance of Chibs and Jax and Opie holding Dana down, she was able to extract the bullets and close the holes. Dana had passed out during the procedure. Tara set her arm as best she could and wrapped her leg up with gauze. "I need to go back to the hospital and get the supplies to put a cast on and a burn kit," Tara said, peeling her gloves off.

"Chibs, you have some experience. If she wakes up and the pain is unbearable, inject her with this," she said, handing him a syringe. Tara nodded to Jax and they exited the room. As they stood in front of his bike, Jax turned around and hugged her. "Thanks," he whispered, wrapping his arms tightly around her. Tara hugged him back, confused at his gesture.

---

Dana began to heave, clasping at her chest. She couldn't breathe. She latched on to Opie's shirt and began to shake him. "I need some help in here!" He yelled out, as Dana dug her fingers into his skin. Chibs ran into the room glancing down at her. Her body was pale and she was covered in dried up blood, laid out on the table in only a bra and her panties.

"Where is she?" Tyler yelled as he entered the clubhouse. The crew pointed him towards the chapel, where he ran to. As he entered, he found Chibs and Opie in shambles. "I don't know what's wrong. She was fine and then she started having problems breathing," Opie said, as Tig held her down. Tyler walked around the table and picked up the syringes that were lying on it. "What did the doc give her?" He asked. "Probably some pain killers and some antibiotics," Chibs responded.

"Shit," Tyler said, walking over to her and shoving Opie away. He grabbed Dana's face and opened her eyes. "You gotta fight, baby," he whispered, glancing back to Chibs. "She's allergic to penicillin. She's gonna die unless you do something," he said. Chibs began to move with the speed of light, knowing that every second was crucial. He held his breath as he preformed an emergency tracheotomy on Dana, only releasing the breath he was holding in when she was able to get a full one. It's not pretty but it'll do, he said to himself as he pulled the syringe apart and inserted it into the hole he had just created in her throat.

"What the hell?" Tara said, walking into the chapel with several bags in tow. "You little bitch. You almost killed," Tyler yelled, pointing to her syringes. "She's allergic to penicillin? I didn't know," she said, placing the bags on the table and checking Dana's pulse. "Any other doctor would've asked or double checked before pumping her full of it and leaving," Tyler barked.

Jax stood in between the two of them and interrupted them. "Any other doctor wouldn't be involved in this. So clear the room so she can finish doing what she came here for," he said, pointing to the door. Tyler glared at Tara as he exited the room. "Jesus fucking christ," Tara whispered, running a hand over her face. "He's right, Jax. She would've died," she said. Jax shook his head and stepped towards her.

"You did what you thought was best. You did the right thing," he said, patting her on the back. She shook her head and sighed. "What if this was at work or Chibs wasn't there to clean up my mess? I don't even think I should touch her anymore," she responded. He shook his head and began to open up the bags she brought from the hospital. "You fix her. You owe her this much," he stated, exiting the room.


	14. Visitors

**Chapter 14: **Visitors

"Where are we at with Dana?" Clay said, as they gathered around in the garage. "Last time I checked in, the doc was preparing her arm for the cast. Then she has to treat the burns on her leg from when she slid with the bike," Jax said, flicking the built up ash from his cigarette. "So when do we ride?" Tyler asked, taking a sip of his beer. Clay held his hand up and shook his head. "Dana will get her vengeance. Her own way. I say we wait, let her heal. Let her formulate her own plan for how to deal with the Mayans. It's what she would want," he said.

Tyler scoffed. "That's my wife in there laid out on a table. Body full of lead. If this was Gemma, Mayans would be extinct by now," he said. Opie cleared his throat and pointed towards Tyler. "He's right. She's gonna be out of commission for a while. We can't let the Mayans run around thinking they got us good," he said. The rest of the sons made motions of agreement with them, knowing that war was imminent.

"This is your call. I know what she would want us to do. I know what you guys want to do," Clay said, motioning to all of them, a lit cigar on hand. Several murmurs were heard throughout the group and Clay sighed. "All those who want to handle the Mayans without Dana," he said. The majority of the group motioned this. "I guess it's settled then."

---

Dana stirred in the bed, groaning as her body informed her that she was not ready for such movement. "Hey," a voice said next to her. She glared at Tara, as she reached over and began to check her bandages. Dana glanced around as she realized she was in Jax's old bedroom in the clubhouse and she could clearly tell that Gemma had been in there and cleaned up. The room was spotless and the bed sheets were a light beige. Too flirty for Jax.

"Either drug me up or put me out of my misery," Dana whispered, her voice raspy. She touched the bandage on her throat and shook her head sadly. "Alright, as you wish," Tara said. Dana leaned back on the bed and felt the needle breach her skin. She relaxed as she was lulled back to a deep slumber.

---

"We got a problem," Chibs said, as the boy walked through the clubhouse door. Jax and Opie turned towards the door as Laroy walked through it. The boys stood and faced the man. "He says he's here to see Dana," Tig said, standing behind him, watching his every move. "I'm guessing you kept this visit to the crib on the down low," Dana said, appearing from behind the bar and walking up to him.

She was currently clad in a pair of black booty shorts and a black sports bra, her cast already full of writing. The sons tensed as the two came closer. "You better tell your boys to back down. Nothing can come between the love me and you have," Laroy said, motioning to all the sons surrounding him. Dana chuckled as she climbed on to a bar stool slowly. He reached out and steadied her, holding her good arm.

The sons took a step towards them as they saw the contact between the two. Dana held a hand up and motioned for Laroy to sit next to her. "Don't worry, boys. There are no old lady spots on the niners crew. And I don't think I'd make a good down ass gangsta bitch," she said. The sons laughed and fell back, but not going too far.

Dana glanced over her shoulder and found Tyler staring at Laroy, his presence oddly making her feel safe. "Oh don't worry about hubby. He's like that STD he gave me once. I just can't seem to shake it," she said, turning back to Laroy."It don't matter, boo. You know me and you have a bond he can't break," he said. Dana scoffed and shook her head. "Humor me, Laroy. Remind me, why I keep you around."

"Because you're gorgeous. Because you're the only son I fuck with. Because after all the bullshit we've been through, me and you are still thick as thieves," he drawled out. She shook her head and waved him off. "Only reason you fuck with me is because I'm the only son with the ghetto booty that you want oh so much. So you better cut the bullshit and tell me why you're making house calls," she said.

Laroy glanced around him and focused his stare on her. He leaned forward and dropped his voice above a whisper. "After you had that slip and fall down on the cruise ship heading south, I fell too. When I fell, I blacked out and someone picked my pockets clean. They took my health insurance card and I need to go see the doctor. I'm not feeling too good," he said.

Dana sat back in her chair and smirked. "And?" She asked. "I was wondering if you knew how I could get a new one. I need to go and see a doctor ASAP. Doesn't matter where or how or how much the co-pay is. Then maybe me and you could go on a cruise together," he said. She laughed, shaking her head. "Last time me and you took a cruise together, you almost pushed me off the top deck. I didn't enjoy that very much."

"Last time, me and you took a cruise together, I was confused. Too many damn margaritas. This time around I'll try to keep my liquor to myself. Plus, I think you owe me one," he said. She snapped her head up and raised an eyebrow. "I'm still healing from my slip and fall. Doctor has put me on bed rest, indefinitely," she said. Laroy stood up and leaned into her, whispering something about a life vest in her ear.

Dana stood up and motioned to the sons. "Laroy's gonna put me to bed. Entertain yourselves until I get back," she said, beginning her slow walk towards the back bedrooms.

---

Laroy nodded to the sons as he exited the club. Dana appeared behind him and made sure he was gone before turning towards Jax. "Find Clay. Get him down here. NOW," she said, turning and making her way back towards her current room. "Tyler, come help me change," she said, before disappearing down the hall. Jax and Tyler locked eyes before going separate ways.

Tyler walked into Jax's old room and shut the door behind him, crossing his arms over his chest and watching her. Dana paced the room, softly and slowly, seeing as her injuries didn't let her do much. "What I'm about to tell you, stays in this room. I know we have had our differences, but when it comes to club business, we always had each other's backs no matter what," she said, her hand pointing to the scars on her thigh, where she had taken a bullet for him.

"You know me like the back of your hand. If you had any doubts, you wouldn't have even bothered to ask me in here. So spill it," he said, walking up to her. "Mayans broke into the Niners safe house last night and stole all their guns. He was here because he needs us to supply him tonight. Even if means paying double for the shipment. I told him that he had to get into our good graces before I begin to pull strings to get Clay to even consider giving him guns and that's when he pulled out his ace," she said.

"Dana's death was a botched hit."


	15. Deal With The Devil

**A/N: **Thanks for all the reviews guys! You don't know how much it matters that you guys are taking time out to read my stories. On a side note, I wonder how you guys picture Tyler? I know that I never gave a precise description of him, but for some reason I picture him as being a cross between Opie and Vince from the fast and the furious. But then again.. I'm probably insane. 3

**Chapter 15: **Deal with the Devil

Tyler shook his head and smiled. "We already know that. The Niners were after Opie. They had seen his truck at the exchange site," he said. "No. You're not understanding me. Niners didn't do the hit. We did," she said. He scoffed and took a step back. "I don't know whose been pumping you with more shit, the doc with her drugs or Laroy with his tales," he said, walking over to the bed and picking up a duffel bag on the floor. He opened it and pulled out some clothes. He held them up for her approval.

She pointed to the black v-neck shirt and a pair of light jeans. "It makes sense, Ty. Stahl was setting Opie up as a rat. Clay probably planned it out a couple of days before hand. Giving him time to keep digging up dirt on Opie. By that time, it was too late to call the hit off and Dana ends up getting clipped," she said, shedding her sports bra and black booty shorts.

He helped her into her bra and jeans, still shaking his head. "Hale told Jax to watch Opie's back. That the fallout from Stahl personal vendetta against the sons would shed blood," Tyler said, helping her into her shirt. They stood in front of the bed, both of them staring at her cut lying on it. "What do you plan on doing now? You can only go so far with this. You trust Laroy. They don't," he said, picking it up and helping her into it.

Dana shrugged, handing him a scrunchie. "He ordered a hit on a club member, Ty. Whose next? Me? You? Jax?" she said. Tyler stood behind her and pulled her hair into a ponytail. He placed a kiss on the top of her head and lingered there. "This could get ugly, D."

---

Dana stepped into the chapel, shutting the door behind her softly. Clay and Tig who were standing next to the window, turned towards her. "What the fuck is going?" Clay yelled, walking towards her. "Let me guess. You gave the order, Tig pulled the trigger," she said, walking over to the redwood table and sitting on it. Clay cocked his head to the side and stared at her. "What are you talking about?"

Dana chuckled and glanced over at Tig. "What happened, Tig? Couldn't shoot him in his face? Did it from behind, so you fucked up and killed Donna," she said. "You shut your mouth," Tig yelled, lunging for her. Clay held him back and glared at her. "Has Jax been filling your head with this bullshit?" Clay asked, sitting down in his chair. She shook her head and lit a cigarette. "When Jax started talking about how you had your lines crossed, you flipped the script and made him look like the bad guy. Now I got other people telling me the same thing about you. Instead, now I believe them. You didn't have the balls to do it yourself, so you got Tig to do it. But then again, Tig is one manipulative son of a bitch. So I'm guessing you were hesitant and he kept pushing the envelope. One fuck up lead to another and here we are."

Tig slid into a chair and held his head in his hands. "I'm not surprised. You tend to get rid of everything that stands in your way. Just like John Teller," she said, taking a pull from her cigarette. Tig snapped his head up and glared at Clay. "From now on you run every decision you make through me. EVERY decision. You step down in a month, without a fight. And if you even think about having our good old boy Tig here, put two in the back of my head, you'll get one hell of a surprise," she said, standing up from the table.

"It was an accident," Clay whispered. Dana shook her head and sighed. "I'm the necessary evil, Clay. Not you. Laroy needs a shipment by tonight, I don't care if you have to sell our reserves. He's paying double. Get the guys on it as soon as the sun goes down. She looked back at Tig and smirked. "You and me, we're gonna be best friends," she said, exiting the room and closing the door behind her.

---

Dana groaned as she stretched, trying to reach the cup on the top shelf. Opie reached over her and grabbed the cup, passing it to her. "Don't you think you should be taking it easy?" He asked, leaning against the counter. She shook her head and continued on her quest to make herself something to eat.

"I'm fine. I can still function," she said, grabbing a bottle of juice from the fridge and sitting down at the table. He grabbed the plate with a sandwich from the counter and placed it in front of her. Opie pulled a chair out and plopped down into it, staring at her. She glanced up from her sandwich and cocked an eyebrow, knowing that this wasn't going anywhere good.

"What's going on between you and Tyler?" He asked, crossing his arms over his chest. Dana took a bite out of her sandwich and leaned back in her chair, shaking her head. "Don't beat around the bush, Op. Spit it out, whatever it is that has you conjuring up non-existent shit," she said, wiping the side of her mouth. "When they brought you in, I was there at your side. You said his name, not mines. His," he said.

She scoffed. "Jealous, much?" Opie shifted in his seat and shook his head. "Then two weeks ago, you and him are having little secret meetings. W hat's up with that?" Dana continued to eat her sandwich and poured herself a cup of juice. "If he hadn't been there I would've died. He was the only one that knew that I was allergic to penicillin, so that's why I was calling out to him. And that meeting, I was just thanking him. There's nothing to it," she said.

"I don't want you going on runs or any deep shit like that no more," Opie said. Dana froze and glanced up at him, before pushing her plate away. She glared down at her half eaten sandwich and sighed. "Let me apologize for what I'm sure is about to sound real bitchy. I know you are trying to protect me and what not, but this one is on you. Tyler learned it the hard way and so will you. When I have my cut on, you can't tell me what to do. You need to keep our personal life out of club business. When I'm riding, I'm just another son," she said, standing up and exiting the room.

"What if you hadn't come back from that? What if you had died out there in the middle of the highway?" He yelled after her. "Now you understand what Donna kept telling you. And you above all people should understand that you can't be half in, half out, Opie," she responded, grabbing her cut off of the couch and heading for the door.

Opie stood up and followed her outside. "How dare you bring her into this!" He yelled. She turned around and faced him, throwing her hands into the air. "It is what it is. If you can't understand, then me and you can't hang," she said, climbing into her truck and taking off. Opie stared after her, his body shaking with rage.


	16. Puppet Show

**Chapter 16: **Puppet Show

"So this thing with the Mayans, how long you gonna keep us sitting on our hands?" Jax asked, taking a pull of his cigarette. They were currently at Gemma's annual school fundraiser, supposedly helping her raise money, but they were doing far more than that. Dana shrugged, glancing over at Opie and the kids. Tyler reached over and took her cigarette out of her hand, taking a pull. She returned her attention to Jax and Tyler, shaking her head from side to side.

"I'm working on something with Laroy. He still hasn't gone after the Mayans. I figured, that if we plan this out really well and use the 9'ers as a distraction, we can get rid of the Mayans all together," she said, taking her cigarette back from Tyler. "We tried that already and it went to complete shit," Tyler said. She scoffed and placed a hand on his shoulder. "Have faith, brother," she said.

Tyler scoffed and nodded to Jax before walking off. Jax and Dana stared at each other, not really knowing what to say or do. "I made a deal with the devil," Dana said, taking a pull of her cigarette. "What are you talking about?" She hesitated, knowing that it would take a lot of work to get her and Jax to work together. "Clay promised to step down from the throne as long as I became V. P.," she said.

Jax cocked an eyebrow and pushed some hair behind his ear. "How did you get him to do that?" She shrugged, glancing at Opie playing with the kids. "I know a little something of this, a little of something that. So I made a deal with the devil to keep his secret and get rid of him," she said. Jax followed her line of sight and sighed when he saw Opie on the ground wrestling with his son. "I approached him about it. He denied it," Jax said, shaking his head softly.

"That's the difference between me and you, Jax. You approached him, I confronted him," she said. "So where does that leave me and you?" Dana thought about the question and her mind ran a mile a minute, trying to come up with an answer that would solve all their problems. "It leaves us trying to work our bullshit out without involving the club. It leaves me between a rock and a hard place, Jax. I gotta lie to Opie's face, stab Tyler in the back, while trying my hardest not to kill you and Tara," she said.

"Survival of the fittest," he said, placing an hand on her arm, trying to ease her worries. "This is just one God damn puppet show, Jax. And I'm pulling all the God damn strings," she spat out, before walking away.

---

Dana slid onto the picnic table's bench and ruffled the kid's hair. They ran off and joined the other children, giggling at the top of their lungs. Opie nodded her way and continued to watch the kids. "What was all that about?" He asked. She inhaled slowly, letting it out just as slow. Things between the two had been tense the last couple of days, ever since their big blow out about her involvement in the club.

"Nothing much. Just club business," she replied, a fake smile plastered on her face. He leaned forward on his elbows and stared at her. "You wanna talk about it?" He asked her. She shook her head, glancing around the place and smiling at all the town's people. Opie sighed, shaking his head softly. "When are you gonna take that stick out of your ass?"

She flipped her head towards him and scowled. "What the fuck are you talking about?" Opie smirked and pulled a cigarette out of his cut pocket. He lit it up and motioned to her. She neglected, feeling like at any moment she would have to make a break for it. "You've had this stick permanently lodged up your ass for the last week. If you don't want to be in this with me, let me know. I won't be missing out on nothing special," he spat out.

Dana felt like his words were delivered like a punch to her gut. She pursed her lips together and glared at him. She had a lot of shit on her mind, a lot of doubts. The last thing she needed was Opie on her back. She shook her head sadly and kept her eyes trained on him. If any other person had dared talk to her like that, she would've put her foot up their ass. But they were in the middle of a group of people. They were in a relationship. They were…

She wouldn't say in love, but she had grown to have feelings for him. She had grown to lean on him for emotional support. She had grown to realize that he would substitute for the two fucked up men in her life that had scarred her. She had grown up and now she had to pull some more strings. "You're right. You won't be missing out on anything special," she whispered, her voice catching at the end.

He realized his words and cringed, taking in the fact that she was moments away from crying. Dana swallowed and stood up from the table. He stood up after her and grabbed on to her arm. She flipped around and stared at him, her eyes glistening with unshed tears. "Don't do this here. Not now. Not ever. Just let it go," she replied, yanking her arm away from him and walking off into the crowd.

She stopped at Gemma's booth and chatted her up for a bit. "What's going on there? Should I fear for Opie's life?" Gemma said, placing a hand on her shoulder. "Seems like everything is falling apart, bit by bit," Dana replied, glancing out at all the families that were enjoying the carnival. "Just remember, Sam Crow is the glue."

Dana scoffed at the older woman and realized that many her years as a crow eater hadn't made her as smart as everyone thought she was. "Take the kids home with you?" Dana asked, reaching into her pocket and retrieving her car keys. "Gonna blow off some steam?" Gemma said, a vicious smirk on her face. Dana reached over and placed a strand of hair behind her ear, a sweet smile on her face. "Sometimes, you know too much for your own good," she whispered, placing a kiss on the older woman's forehead.

Gemma continued to smirk as she watched Dana walk off towards the parking lot. She turned around and found Opie behind her. "Where she going?" He asked. She laughed and faced him, an eyebrow raised. "You gotta understand something, Opie. She ain't Donna. She ain't just gonna roll over and take it like everyone else. You pissed her off, she's gonna find some other young thang to keep her preoccupied. She learned it the hard way with Tyler, Tyler learned it the hard way with her. This is her show. She runs every little thing. Every God damn detail," she said.

Opie shook his head and returned his attention back to his kids. He had no clue what Gemma was talking about. To tell the truth, he didn't really care. All he wanted to do was fix his life, make it what it was before. All he wanted to do was be whole again.


	17. Danger

**Chapter 17: **Danger

Dana fell back into the bed and sighed, lighting yet another cigarette. "You know those things will kill ya," Laroy said, throwing an arm over her flat stomach. She scoffed and glanced down at the man whose sheets she was currently wrapped up in. "So will friendly fire," she replied, taking a long drag.

"How did you handle that situation?" Laroy asked, running his hands up and down her side. "I pretty much told him to step down and give Jax the reigns. Plus, I'll be V.P., so I'll still be in control of things," she replied. He sat up in bed and cocked an eyebrow at her. "How does that change things between you and me?"

Dana cocked an eyebrow also and sighed. She didn't know what the response would be. Laroy and her didn't really have a relationship. They sort of just fell into bed together ages ago, before he even became the 9'ers ring leader. They knew each other from word of mouth and eventually they came to realize that they were the only ones that could stand each other. The Sons always had animosity towards 9'ers and the 9'ers never really made an effort to keep things kosher between them. Laroy and Dana ultimately took it upon themselves to straighten things out, to keep the peace. Even if it meant having meetings in between the sheets. Things got straightened out between the two rival gangs- that was all that mattered.

"It doesn't. We do business. When we get lonely, we pay each other a visit. That's all that matters. I think we can file whatever we do under business expenses," she said, climbing out of the bed and reaching for her clothes. They both dressed in silence and felt comfortable about it. Nothing had to be said between the two. Shit just worked.

"So a week from now, down by the warehouses," Laroy said, confirming what they had discussed between grunts. Dana nodded and pulled her hoodie on. She had opted to leave her cut at home. She didn't want their business dealings out on the streets. His right hand knew about their negotiations but other than that, Tyler was the only other person that knew. And even then, he didn't know they still saw each other.

---

Gemma placed the coffee mug on the dining room table and glared at Clay. "How could you tell her that you would give up your title as president?" She yelled. He shook his head and picked up his drink, taking a sip of it. "I didn't have a choice. She was gonna tell. Have me kicked out of the club or worse," he replied, picking up his newspaper. She snatched the newspaper out of his hand and threw it across the room.

"Fix this, Clay! You can't lose everything we worked so hard for because you fucked up!" Clay stood up from the table, his chair falling over from the force. His body shook with rage as he realized that there was no way out of this. "It's time, Gemma. We can't rule the world for ever. We knew that eventually I wouldn't be able to ride. It was just a matter of time. We have no choice but to play this out and act like as if this was the way we wanted things," he growled.

Gemma stared at him as he left the house, slamming the front door behind him. She seethed with rage as she realized that she was no longer top dog. She was no longer in charge or in control of things. Clay would give up his title to Jax and Dana would be the new queen in Charming.

She slid into a dining room chair and ran a hand over her face. The end was near for them, she could sense it. It was just a matter of time before Gemma became a memory. Before Gemma was nobody. But she would rather die than become another civilian in Charming. She was royalty, God dammit. Gemma slapped her hand down on the table and stood up, heading for the door.

She was on a mission.

---

Jax waved as Gemma walked into the garage. He frowned as she ignored him and speed walked right passed him. He watched as she walked up to Dana and swung her around, punching her in her face. "Oh shit," he said, as he ran over to the two women. Gemma pushed him off and jumped on top of Dana, who was bent over cradling her bloody nose.

Dana pushed Gemma off of her and began to swung at the older woman, her manners going out the window. The two fell to the ground and began to pummel each other. "I don't want to have to hurt you!" Dana yelled, as she climbed on top of her and held her hands down.

Gemma spat into her face and growled. "You couldn't sleep your way to the top, so now you gotta blackmail it all the way there!" She yelled. Dana rolled off of her and stood up, shaking her sadly. "This isn't the time or place," she said, wiping the spit off of her face. Gemma grabbed on to her leg and began to try to drag her down. Dana shrugged her off and kicked her in the ribs.

Gemma fell back on to the floor and grabbed at her side. "Stay down!" Dana ordered, as the rest of the club members came running towards them. "What the fuck is going on?" Chibs yelled, reaching down and helping Gemma up. "You little bitch. You have to have everything your way, don't you? You couldn't leave well enough alone," Gemma said.

Dana scoffed and glared at her. "Do you really wanna air your dirty laundry out right here, right now?" Dana said, wiping some blood off of her face. "I don't have anything to hide. Why don't you tell everyone how you and Laroy have been screwing each other behind everyone's back? Or maybe I should just continue down the long line of guys you've been fucking to make yourself feel like you're worth something? Just like your God damn mama," Gemma spat out.

Dana froze and she could feel her heart drop as Gemma's words hit their target- her heart. She reached over and picked up a wrench that was near the bike she was working on. She glanced down at her hand and felt the heavy weight between her fingers. The cold steel. She shivered, realizing that if she had a gun, she would've jumped at the chance to put two bullets into Gemma's heart. But she would have to settle with bashing her face in.

She lunged for the older woman and delivered a swift hit to her ribs. She could've sworn she heard the sound of bones crushing and she didn't really care. She lunged for her again but was stopped short by strong arms holding her back. She growled and dropped the wrench, pushing away at the arms holding her back.

Dana glanced back at Gemma, who was on the floor holding on to her side, and ran out of the garage. She ignored the voices yelling after her and climbed into her truck, speeding off. The guys stood around Gemma, a mix of scowls and confused looks on their faces. They didn't know what the hell just happened, but they knew that heads would roll when Clay found out about this.


	18. All Talk

**Chapter 18: **All Talk

The wind pushed back the hair on Dana's forehead and she sighed, taking a sip from the bottle of whiskey that was currently in between her fingers. With her other hand, she lifted a cigarette to her mouth and took a long drag. She put the bottle down and with the cigarette dangling from her lips, she picked up the cold piece of steel that rested in front of her.

She inhaled deeply once again and began to pull the trigger, releasing off the rounds that she hoped would relieve the stress that was currently holding her down. But she knew it would only help so much. The only thing that would make her feel better would be shooting at Gemma. When the clip was empty, she released the breath she was holding and glanced over to him.

She knew he was there all along. She could smell him. She knew him like the back of her hand. Not like it mattered. She knew that they would send him. He was the only one that could put up with her mood swings. He was the only one that knew her inside out.

"You wanna talk?" Tyler whispered, reaching over and pulling out the cigarette from her mouth, taking a long drag from it. "You heard what she said. It's the truth," Dana replied.

Tyler looked around the makeshift shooting range the crows had crafted ages ago in the middle of a nearby forest. He kneeled down and sat on the grass, stretching out and laying down flat. He clasped his hands behind his head and crossed his ankles together, staring up at the quickly darkening sky. Dana reached down and took the cigarette from his lips, positioning herself next to him.

"I don't set out to be like her, ya know. It just happens. I can't help it if I tend to fall into bed with people," she whispered. Tyler glanced towards her and sighed. "What people, Dana? As far as I know, it's just me and Opie. And Laroy back in the day."

She took another long drag from her cigarette and exhaled slowly. "Me and Laroy. We've been at it for a while. We've kept it going. And we still have," she said. Ty stood up and stared straight ahead, his shoulders hunched. "Anything else I should know?"

The question hanged in the air like a bad odor that was infiltrating her lungs and about to take over. Dana opened her mouth and let the possibility of telling him the truth start to slip out of her mouth. She ran her lips over her tongue and fingered the cigarette with her thumb. "There was this one guy. For a very long time. I really loved him, Tyler. But things didn't work out. So I did what was best. I fell in love with you," she whispered.

She kept staring forward. Not daring to look towards him. She couldn't muster the strength to face him. She could hear his breathing start to quicken, as he tried to control his anger. "And in the end, here you are. Still stuck with me," he whispered. Dana sat up, mimicking him. A wind came towards them, brushing back the hairs that were stuck on her forehead.

"Even though we quit on each other Tyler, we've always loved each other. We were just better off as best friends than husband and wife," she said.

He turned towards her and sighed, bringing up his hand to her face. Caressing her jaw softly, his eyes holding on to hers. "We can make it work, D. It's just a matter of time and patience with each other. You have no place with Opie or that other guy. You have no place with Laroy. You're a Crow, sweetheart. Always will be," he whispered back.

She purred softly as he rubbed her face against his hand. She lowered her gaze, studying the crow graphic that was on his shirt. "We're not good together, Tyler." He shook his head and stood up. He stretched out a hand down towards her and smiled, motioning to his bike.

"Come on. We'll go to my mother's. Pick up Lila. Go home. Make a nice dinner. Have a night cap. And I'll show you what you've been missing for the past couple of years," he said. She didn't have a choice, but to let him pull her up. She followed him through the soft grass, letting him lead the way. She smiled softly as he handed her his spare helmet.

She giggled as the bike vibrated between her legs. She wrapped her legs around him, drinking in the fact that she felt so carefree currently. She didn't know if it was the fact that she was currently shit faced. She didn't know if it was the fact that she was this much closer to telling him the truth. But she felt good. On the back of his bike. With her legs wrapped around him. With her hair flying wildly behind her.

Because she was done with all the talking.

She needed to take action.

She needed to make moves.


	19. Young

**Chapter 19: **Young

She felt like she was back in high school again. Another bottle of whiskey dangling from in between her fingers. Tyler wrapping his arms around her waist. Laughter ringing out as a soft rock song played from the stereo. Her dressed in a nice sun dress. Dainty sandals on her feet. The little diamond studs he bought her for her 18th birthday.

She was young again.

Tyler had shoved her into the bathroom and threw a change of clothes at her. "Take your time. Lilah and me will get started on dinner," were his instructions as he disappeared back down the stairs. She could hear pots and pans being banged around downstairs as she settled into the bubble bath she had run.

Like it was their first time in that house. Candles lit. Vanilla and honey bubble bath. Nice, tall glass of whiskey.

Like they were young again.

Before all the drama. Before things got complicated. When all they lived for was the club. Before they made all the mistakes. Before everything.

She slipped into the dress, leaving her clothes in a pile in the corner of the bathroom. Dana skipped the bra, knowing that's what he liked. The fact that she didn't dry herself off made the dress cling to her body, magnifying every curve in her body. She knew what she was doing the moment she slipped into the bathtub and poured herself another drink.

It was when she hatched her master plan and decided that tonight, she would break another heart.

Hers.

Tonight, she would cause herself pain because it was the right thing to do.

The heartbreak would make her feel better.

The alcohol would make her forget.

By the time Dana managed to saunter down the stairs, she could barely walk without stumbling. Tyler realized that she was shitfaced as he watched her enter the kitchen, using the walls as a guide. She glanced around the kitchen, finding the table empty. "Where's Lilah?"

"She got sleepy and decided to call it an early night. How you feeling?"

Before Dana could respond, he slid up to her, wrapping his arms around her waist- drawing her closer. He inhaled her scent, relishing the soft, wet hair that touched his face as he nestled himself into the crook of her neck.

How he used to do back in the day.

She purred softly, loving the soft scratches his beard was giving her. "I'm feeling really good right now," she whispered, running her fingers through his hair. "Come to bed," he whispered, dragging her towards the bedroom, yearning for her touch.

Dana giggled softly as she threw her arms around his neck and allowed him to pick her up, wrapping her legs around his middle. The room began to spin around her as he made his way upstairs, to their old bedroom. She knew she was past the point of being drunk as she felt her neck give way and she collapsed on his shoulder.

Her laid her out on the bed and began to place soft kisses on her neck, inhaling her scent once again. Engraving this moment in the back of his mind. He knew she would regret it in the morning. He knew he would regret it as soon as he came to terms with the fact that he was still in love with her.

If anything, her absence showed him what he was missing. Her being imprisoned showed him that he was wrong all those years. It was too late to go back, but he was willing to try again. He was willing to put it all behind him and give her the life she wanted. The house. The cars. The big family.

He just hoped that it wasn't too late for them.

He just hoped that tonight he could make her forget about it all.

And that tomorrow would be a brand new day.

But as luck would have it, he had no control over the situation. He was simply there to please her. Make her remember the man he was, or so he thought. As Tyler pushed her panties aside and entered her, Dana's imagination took over. She had not control over herself as she began to imagine him.

Like as if they were young again.

Like as if they were just passing the time once again.

She began to imagine that Jax was the one that making love to her that night. That Jax was the one that grabbed on to her hair and thrusted into her. That Jax was the one that was moaning into her ear as she tugged softly on his hair.

And her imagination really kicked in when she felt herself teetering on the edge. When she felt herself about to come. When her knees went weak and she was moaning loudly. When Tyler reached over and put a hand over mouth, trying to stifle her moans.

And when he removed it to grasp onto her breast.

That was when she opened her mouth and let that forsaken name slip out of her mouth.

"Jackson."

There was no denying it. The name was said. And as Tyler thrusted faster and harder, he tried to forget. He tried to erase that moment when she whispered another man's name in bed. That moment when he realized that she was in love with his best friend. His wife, his other best friend, was in love with….

Him.

Not Tyler. Not him.

But him.

Jackson.

The one he had spent his entire life living up to.

The one whose shadow he had been living in forever.

Jackson.


End file.
